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How to Fix Windows Clock Wrong — Time Sync Failed or Keeps Changing on Windows

Windows clock wrong, time sync failing, or clock resetting after restart? Fix time synchronization on Windows 10 and 11.

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Main Troubleshooting Guide

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Complete symptoms, causes, and step-by-step solutions

Symptoms

You might be experiencing this problem if you notice:

  • •Clock shows wrong time even after manually setting it
  • •Time resets to wrong time after every restart
  • •"Time synchronization failed" error
  • •Clock drifts by minutes or hours within a day
  • •Websites showing certificate errors due to wrong time
  • •Time off by exactly 1 hour (DST issue)

Common Causes

  • ⚠CMOS battery dead or dying
  • ⚠Windows Time service not running
  • ⚠Time server unreachable due to firewall or network
  • ⚠Dual-boot with Linux (UTC vs local time conflict)
  • ⚠Time zone set incorrectly

Solutions

Solution 1: Sync Time Manually

  1. 1Settings → Time & language → Date & time
  2. 2Ensure "Set time automatically" is ON
  3. 3Ensure correct time zone is set
  4. 4Click "Sync now" under Additional settings
  5. 5If sync fails: check internet connection

Solution 2: Fix Time Service

  1. 1CMD as Administrator:
  2. 2w32tm /unregister
  3. 3w32tm /register
  4. 4net stop w32time && net start w32time
  5. 5w32tm /resync /force
  6. 6Alt server: w32tm /config /manualpeerlist:"pool.ntp.org" /syncfromflags:manual /reliable:yes /update

Solution 3: Fix Dual-Boot Time Issue

  1. 1Linux stores UTC, Windows stores local time — causes clock mismatch
  2. 2Fix on Windows: CMD as Administrator:
  3. 3reg add "HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\TimeZoneInformation" /v RealTimeIsUniversal /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f
  4. 4Restart — Windows will now use UTC like Linux

Solution 4: Check CMOS Battery

  1. 1If time resets after every shutdown: CMOS battery likely dead
  2. 2CR2032 coin cell — costs $3-5
  3. 3Desktop: open case → find coin cell on motherboard → replace
  4. 4Laptop: usually under bottom panel
  5. 5CMOS batteries last 3-5 years typically
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