Most people probably don’t give a damn, but by default Windows displays 12 hour time format, not military time. However, for all people who usually define time in a military format, the ability to change it on their computers can be very useful.
You might think that in Windows it is very easy to change the clock to military time, but it is not! The procedure also differs depending on which version of Windows you are using. In this article, I will show you how to change the time of your Windows XP, 7, 8 or 10 PC to military format.
Windows XP time format
Open Control Panel first and then open Regional and Language Options. If you don’t see the icons, click the Switch to Classic View link in the upper left corner.
Then click the “Customize” button on the “Regional Options” tab.
Click the Time tab and select any of the uppercase H options. Lowercase h means 12-hour format and uppercase H means 24-hour format.
Now click OK until you return to the Control Panel. Not an easy process at all. It would be much smarter to put this setting in the Date and Time Properties dialog box when you double-click the time in the taskbar.
Microsoft did it in Windows 7 and later, but it takes a few clicks mouse. Ironically, using the Control Panel is faster on Windows 7 and newer. I will explain the next steps for later versions of Windows.
Windows 7, 8 and 10 time format
In Windows 7, open Control Panel and click Region and Language. On Windows 8 and Windows 10, it’s just Region. If you are in category view, switch to small or large icons at the top right.
Now in Windows 7 and later, the Formats tab is front and center, and you can change the time format in the Short Time and Long Time drop-down lists.
Again, the capital letter H is wartime. For the change to be reflected in the time displayed on the taskbar, the long time format must be changed. I’m not sure where the short time format is used in Windows, but you can also change it to keep things consistent.
Another way to do this in Windows 7, 8, and 10 is to click the date and time on the taskbar, and then click Change date and time settings.
A new dialog box will appear, at the top of which you have to click the “Change date and time” button.
Another dialog will appear where you can manually adjust the date and time. Here you need to click on the link “Change calendar settings”.
Finally, the Customize Format dialog box opens and you click on the Time tab. It’s a really long way to the same dialog box that can be accessed with a single click from the Control Panel.
That’s all you need to do to convert time to military format in Windows. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to leave comments. Enjoy!
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