Time and Date under Linux
This guide explains how to set Time and Date under Linux.
Display Current Time and Date
Enter the following command into the Linux command prompt to show basic Time and Date information.
date
Response should look something like this:
Tue 2022-12-06 16:18:53 CET
Advanced configuration with timedatectl
Enter the following command into the Linux command prompt to show Advanced Time and Date information.
timedatectl
Response should look something like this:
Local time: Tue 2022-12-06 16:18:53 CET
Universal time: Tue 2022-12-06 15:18:53 UTC
RTC time: Tue 2022-12-06 15:18:54
Time zone: Europe/Vienna (CET, +0100)
System clock synchronized: yes
NTP service: n/a
RTC in local TZ: no
Display Hardware Clock (RTC)
Use one of the following hwclock command's to display the Hardware Clock time on screen:
hwclock -r
hwclock --show
Adjust Time and Date
In many cases the time would fit only the time zone is wrong Click here to jump directly to section Change Time Zone
Although it is possible to set a fixed time, we strongly recommend that you use NTP (Network Time Protocol). This will also keep the time synchronized.
NTP
Once NTP is enabled, it sets the time of the current time zone. You can adjust this as described here.
Enable
sudo timedatectl set-ntp true
Disable
sudo timedatectl set-ntp false
Change Time Zone
Available Time Zones
You can display the available time zones with the following command. Search for your continent and the nearest capital city
sudo timedatectl list-timezones
Use the F and B key on your keyboard to scroll forward and backward through the listed timezones. Alternatively, you can use the arrow keys for scrolling. You can exit the list with CTRL+C
Select Time Zone
Once you Identified your time zone, you can select it using following command:
sudo timedatectl set-timezone Europe/Vienna
Manual
To set the time manually use the following command.
sudo timedatectl set-time 00:00:00
Syntax: hh:mm:ss