The Windows 11 taskbar has plenty going on to help you stay organized. You can see what apps you have open, check your Wi-Fi connection strength, and even start a focused work session. The clock is also a useful feature, showing the current time and, below it, the day’s date. But if you’re used to a more precise way of measuring time, you may be frustrated that, by default, it’s missing a certain something: seconds.
The default Windows 11 taskbar clock only shows hours and minutes. If you’re someone who likes to take a break for a few seconds now and then, or who appreciates the accuracy of a more detailed clock, there is a way to change this.
Learn to enable seconds in Windows 11 taskbar clock by following the steps below. Note: You must make sure you’ve updated Windows 11 to the latest version for these instructions to work. Go to Settings > Windows Update > Check for Updates to do this.
Enable Seconds in Windows Taskbar Clock: Step-by-Step Guide
Step 1. Open Settings. You can do this by searching using the taskbar’s search function, or by pressing this key combination: Windows + I.
Step 2. Click on “Time & language” in the left-hand menu.
Step 3. Next, click on “Date & time,” shown at the top of the “Time & language” options.
Step 4. Look for the option that says, “Show time and date in the System tray.” By default, this will be toggled on (blue). There’s a drop-down arrow next to the toggle button. Click here.
Step 5. You can now tick the box that says, “Show seconds in system tray clock (uses more power).”
Step 6. You don’t need to apply this setting manually; it will instantly change the display format of your Windows taskbar clock.
If you’re wondering how to show seconds on the Windows 11 taskbar clock and are concerned that doing so uses more power, don’t worry. The power increase is negligible. You can check how it impacts your power usage by heading to Settings > System > Power & battery > Battery usage > Battery levels.
The graph above shows the last 24 hours, with the bars at the right showing the most recent usage levels. There was no notable difference in usage from before the clock was adjusted and after. You can also review what apps and services are using the most power simply by scrolling down on the same page.
The system battery usage is less than one percent, apart from background processes. If you’re concerned about the “seconds” feature eating up your battery, you can head back into Settings > Time & language > Date & time > Show time and date in the System tray, and switch the feature off again. The seconds will instantly be removed from the Windows 11 taskbar clock.
