Some people want their Windows 11 clock to show the seconds, not just the hours and minutes, as it does by default. This wasn’t possible in the initial version of Windows 11, but Microsoft added this feature in an update that came out in July 2023. Yes, you can now add the seconds to the taskbar clock. If you want to see the time in real time 🙂 straight on your Windows 11 taskbar, read and follow the instructions in this tutorial:
The default clock on the Windows 11 taskbar
If you don’t fiddle with its settings, the Windows 11 taskbar displays the time and date in its right corner, similar to the screenshot below. The time includes only hours and minutes.
By default, the Windows 11 clock doesn't show the seconds
However, as of July 11, 2023, if you install update KB5028185, you can set Windows 11 to show the seconds on the taskbar clock, like in the screenshot below. See how the Windows 11 taskbar clock now displays the hours, minutes, and seconds passing in real time.
The Windows 11 clock displaying the seconds
According to PC World, there was a lot of debate around introducing this change because something as banal as displaying the seconds on the Windows 11 taskbar clock requires more resources. Even when enabling this setting, you see a small warning that it uses more power.
TIP: Did you know you can also add other clocks to the Windows taskbar to keep an eye on the time in multiple locations worldwide?
How to show seconds in the Windows 11 taskbar clock
If you want the seconds added to the Windows 11 clock, right-click (or press and hold) on the empty space on your taskbar and choose Taskbar settings.
Right-click the taskbar and choose Taskbar settings
Alternatively, open Settings (Windows + I) and go to Personalization > Taskbar. On the right side of the Settings window, you see all the available settings for personalizing the Windows 11 taskbar, starting with choosing which items to show or hide.
The Windows 11 taskbar settings
Scroll down the list of taskbar settings, and click or tap on the Taskbar behaviors section to expand it. Then, look for the “Show seconds in system tray clock (uses more power)” setting and check the box next to it with a click or tap.
Open Taskbar behaviors and check Show seconds in system tray clock
The seconds are added immediately to the Windows 11 taskbar clock. Close the Settings app window, and you are done.🙂
TIP: If the “Show seconds in system tray clock” setting is missing, you must update Windows 11 and install the latest available updates. To help you out, here’s the complete guide to Windows 11 updates.
How to remove the seconds in the Windows 11 time
Suppose you see the seconds on the clock displayed on the Windows 11 taskbar, and you want to remove them because this information is not useful to you or it eats up too much battery power. In that case, you can turn off this setting using steps similar to those shared earlier: right–click or press and hold on the empty space on the taskbar and choose Taskbar settings. Alternatively, press Windows + I to open the Settings app and go to Personalization > Taskbar.
Next, look for the Taskbar behaviors section and click or tap on its name to expand it. Lastly, uncheck the box next to “Show seconds in system tray clock (uses more power).” The seconds are removed from the time displayed by Windows 11 in the system tray area of the taskbar.
Uncheck Show seconds in system tray clock
TIP: If you like how the taskbar is aligned towards the left side of the screen in Windows 10, and you want it the same way in Windows 11 too, here’s how to move it to the left, together with the Start Menu.
Did you notice any performance or battery-life impact caused by enabling the seconds on the Windows 11 clock?
It is amusing that Microsoft postponed introducing this small feature for so long because of performance considerations. Windows computers have a lot of power nowadays, and such a small change should not make a dent in how well they work. But who knows, maybe Microsoft has some data that we don’t, and there’s a real impact to consider. Did you notice any? Did your laptop’s battery last less than before enabling this change? Did this lower its performance in any noticeable way? Should we run some benchmarks on a Windows 11 laptop and see whether this setting has a negative impact? Comment below and let us know.
