How to Enable Seconds on the Clock in Windows 10 and Windows 11

By default, Windows 10 and Windows 11 only display hours and minutes on the taskbar clock, which might not be precise enough for those who want to track time down to the second. Fortunately, there’s a way to enable seconds in the system clock. This guide will walk you through the process for both Windows versions.

Enabling Seconds on the Clock in Windows 10

To enable seconds in Windows 10, you’ll need to use the Registry Editor. This method is recommended for advanced users, as editing the registry requires caution.

Step 1: Open the Registry Editor

  1. Press Win + R on your keyboard to open the Run dialog box.
  2. Type regedit and press Enter.
  3. Confirm any prompts if they appear.

Step 2: Navigate to the Relevant Key

In the Registry Editor, navigate to the following path:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced

Step 3: Create or Modify the ShowSecondsInSystemClock Parameter

  1. Right-click in the right pane, select New → DWORD (32-bit) Value.
  2. Name it ShowSecondsInSystemClock.
  3. Double-click the newly created entry and set its value to 1.

Step 4: Restart Windows Explorer

To apply the changes, restart Windows Explorer:

  1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open the Task Manager.
  2. Find Windows Explorer in the list, right-click on it, and select Restart.

You should now see seconds displayed on the clock in the lower-right corner of the taskbar.

Enabling Seconds on the Clock in Windows 11

The process for Windows 11 is similar, but with a few specific differences. In recent updates, Microsoft has added an option to enable seconds in the clock directly through the system settings.

Step 1: Open Settings

  1. Press Win + I to open the Settings window.
  2. Go to Personalization → Taskbar.

Step 2: Enable Seconds

In the Taskbar settings, scroll down to find the option Show seconds in the system clock (if available). Toggle this option on to add seconds to the time display.

If this option is unavailable, you can use the Registry Editor method described above for Windows 10, as it also works on Windows 11.