Use Settings ▸ System ▸ Date & Time ▸ Time Zone on Ubuntu Desktop. On a server or headless installation, use timedatectl list-timezones to find a valid identifier, then run sudo timedatectl set-timezone Region/City and verify with timedatectl. Ubuntu Core uses its own system.timezone snap setting.
Need a server to try this on? Antihost offers Linux VPS plans with NVMe storage, full root access and a 14-day free trial.
Choose the method that matches your Ubuntu installation
Ubuntu exposes the same system timezone through different interfaces. The correct procedure depends mainly on whether you have a graphical desktop, a conventional Server installation, or Ubuntu Core.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
| Method | Best for | Privilege | How you find valid zone names | How you verify |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Settings application | Ubuntu Desktop with a graphical session | Your account may be asked to authenticate, depending on its administrative policy | Search the location picker by city | Reopen Date & Time and confirm the selected location; the clock should update |
timedatectl |
Ubuntu Server, Desktop from a terminal, SSH sessions, and other systemd-based installations | sudo is required to change the system setting |
timedatectl list-timezones, optionally filtered with grep |
Run timedatectl and inspect the time zone line |
| Ubuntu Core snap setting | Ubuntu Core devices where a traditional desktop panel is not assumed | sudo for the snap configuration command |
Use a timezone identifier accepted by the system timezone database | timedatectl | grep zone |
Do not substitute a casual label such as “Central Time” for an identifier. Ubuntu’s timezone database uses names in the Region/City form, and the list returned by your own system is the authoritative set for that installation.
Change the timezone in Ubuntu Desktop
Canonical’s Ubuntu help describes the graphical route for a normal Ubuntu Desktop session. It is suitable when you can log in locally or through a graphical remote session.
#1 Best Overall
Open the Date & Time settings
- Open the Activities overview. You can select Activities in the top bar or use the overview shortcut configured by your desktop.
- Start typing System.
- Select Settings, then open System.
- Select Date & Time.
Turn off automatic timezone selection when necessary
If Automatic Time Zone is enabled, Ubuntu can choose a zone from the computer’s location information. To select a different location yourself, turn that switch off first. Leaving automatic selection enabled can cause a manually chosen zone to be replaced when location detection runs again.
Select the current city
- Click Time Zone.
- Search for the city that represents your current location.
- Select the matching result in the location picker.
The displayed clock changes automatically after you select a different location. Close the picker and check the Date & Time page to make sure the selected city remains shown. If Ubuntu asks for authentication, approve it with an account permitted to change system settings.
Recommended Free Tools
When the graphical method is not the right choice
A desktop panel does not describe the state of a headless server, a minimal installation, or an Ubuntu Core device. If you are connected through SSH, use timedatectl instead of trying to install a graphical settings application merely to change one system value.
Change the timezone with timedatectl
timedatectl is the systemd command-line interface for inspecting and changing time settings. The systemd manpage describes set-timezone [TIMEZONE] as setting the system time zone. The workflow is deliberately two-stage: discover an exact identifier, apply it with administrative privileges, then inspect the result.
1. Inspect the current state
Run this command before making a change:
timedatectlThe output includes the local time, universal time, RTC time, whether the system clock is synchronized, whether the network time service is active, and the current time zone. Record the existing zone if you may need to restore it. Running the command without changing anything is safe and works over SSH.
2. List identifiers supplied by your system
Print every available timezone identifier with:
timedatectl list-timezonesThe result is a long list. Filter it when you know part of the region or city name. For example:
What’s actually slowing this PC down?
Pick the symptom - the matching free tool is one click away.
timedatectl list-timezones | grep ChicagoUse an identifier exactly as printed, including capitalization and the slash. If a search produces no result, broaden the search term rather than inventing an abbreviation. The list is preferable to guessing because informal names and abbreviations can be ambiguous or unsupported.
3. Apply the selected identifier
Pass the exact value to set-timezone with sudo. For example:
sudo timedatectl set-timezone America/ChicagoReplace America/Chicago with the value you found. The command changes the system timezone; it does not merely change the display in one terminal. The systemd documentation notes that this operation changes the /etc/localtime symbolic link, which is the system’s link to the local timezone data.
4. Verify the change
Run:
timedatectlRead the Time zone line and confirm that it contains the identifier you selected. This check catches typographical mistakes, a command run against a different machine than the one you intended, and changes made in a different boot environment. On a remote machine, run the verification in the same SSH session or reconnect and check again.
A compact, repeatable terminal sequence
For a known target location, the essential sequence is:
timedatectl list-timezones | grep <city-or-region>
sudo timedatectl set-timezone Region/City
timedatectlIn the first line, replace <city-or-region> with a search term. In the second line, replace Region/City with one complete identifier returned by the first command. The angle-bracket notation is explanatory; do not type the brackets unless they are part of the actual identifier.
Ubuntu Core: use the system snap setting
Ubuntu Core documents a snap-based configuration rather than assuming that a desktop Date & Time panel exists. Set the system timezone with:
sudo snap set system system.timezone="America/Chicago"Substitute the desired Region/City identifier. Then verify it with:
The Tool Desk
Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →timedatectl | grep zoneThis is the Ubuntu Core-specific configuration path. If you are unsure whether a device is Ubuntu Core or a conventional Ubuntu Server installation, inspect the device’s deployment documentation before choosing between the snap setting and timedatectl set-timezone.
Why the exact timezone identifier matters
A timezone is more than a fixed numerical offset. A named zone carries the rules used to convert UTC into local civil time, including historical changes and daylight-saving transitions where those rules apply. Selecting a city-based identifier therefore gives applications a rule set rather than a one-time “plus or minus” adjustment.
Do not choose a zone solely because its current offset looks right. Two places can share an offset today and diverge later when daylight-saving rules change. Use the location that represents where the computer is operated, select it in the graphical picker, or copy the exact identifier shown by timedatectl list-timezones.
Timezone versus clock synchronization
Changing the timezone changes how the system represents local time; it is not the same operation as synchronizing the clock with a time server. After changing the zone, timedatectl may still report a separate synchronization state. A correct timezone can display the wrong absolute time if the underlying clock is unsynchronized, while a synchronized clock can display the wrong local hour if its timezone is wrong.
Rank #4
Ubuntu’s time-synchronization implementation can vary by release. The Ubuntu Server documentation notes that systemd-timesyncd is replaced by chrony beginning with Ubuntu 25.10. That change affects the synchronization service, not the timedatectl set-timezone workflow. Keep timezone correction and synchronization diagnosis as separate tasks.
Keep the hardware clock in UTC when possible
The timedatectl documentation warns that maintaining the real-time clock (RTC) in local time is not fully supported and can create problems when timezones change or daylight-saving adjustments occur. The recommended practice is to keep the RTC in UTC whenever your hardware and operating environment allow it.
This matters most on machines that are moved between locations, dual-boot systems, or systems that cross daylight-saving transitions. Changing the displayed timezone should not be used as a substitute for repeatedly rewriting the RTC in local time. If you are investigating an offset that returns after reboot, inspect the RTC-related fields in timedatectl and determine whether another operating system or firmware setting expects local RTC instead of UTC before changing that policy.
Troubleshoot a wrong time after moving
The timezone changes back
Return to Settings ▸ System ▸ Date & Time and check whether Automatic Time Zone is still enabled. Automatic location selection can override a manual choice. Disable it before selecting the new city again, then confirm the result in the settings page or with timedatectl.
PC Slower Than It Used to Be?
A free scan shows the junk files, broken settings and background clutter dragging Windows down - then fixes them in one click.Free scan · Windows 10 & 11Crashes, No Sound, or Screen Glitches?
Random freezes, missing sound and display glitches usually trace back to one bad driver. Find and replace yours safely.Free scan · under a minuteThe command says the zone is invalid
Do not shorten the name or replace it with a familiar abbreviation. Run timedatectl list-timezones, filter the output with a distinctive word, and copy one complete identifier exactly. A missing result means your search term did not match an identifier on that system; it does not justify guessing a different spelling.
The command was accepted but the displayed hour is still wrong
First run timedatectl and distinguish the Time zone field from the current local time and synchronization fields. If the zone is correct, investigate clock synchronization separately. If the synchronization service is inactive or the absolute time is incorrect, changing the zone again will not repair the clock.
Best Value
The problem returns after reboot
Verify the zone after reboot with timedatectl. A recurring change suggests that another configuration layer is applying a value at startup, automatic timezone detection is still active on a desktop, or the device is using a different management method such as Ubuntu Core’s system.timezone setting. Identify which environment actually owns the machine before applying another command.
Applications show different times
Check the system zone first, then determine whether the application intentionally uses UTC or a user-specific setting. The timedatectl result describes the system timezone; it does not guarantee that every application ignores its own profile, container, or service configuration. Avoid changing the host timezone repeatedly when only one application has a separate display preference.
Changing a remote or production server safely
A timezone change is normally a configuration operation rather than a clock correction, but it can affect logs, scheduled jobs, monitoring, and incident timelines. Before changing a production host:
- Confirm the hostname or console session so you do not modify the wrong machine.
- Run
timedatectland record the current zone. - Choose the identifier from
timedatectl list-timezones, not from memory. - Apply the change with
sudo timedatectl set-timezone Region/City. - Run
timedatectlagain and record the new result. - Check a representative log or scheduled task only after confirming the host’s timezone, because existing timestamps may be stored in UTC or may be generated by applications with their own settings.
Changing the host zone does not retroactively rewrite timestamps already recorded in logs or databases. Plan the change during a period when operators can distinguish new local-time output from historical entries.
Desktop, Server, and Core at a glance
The following decision path avoids mixing instructions from different Ubuntu editions:
- If you can open Ubuntu’s graphical Settings application, use System ▸ Date & Time, disable automatic timezone selection if manual control is needed, and choose the city.
- If the machine is a conventional Server installation or you are working through SSH, discover and set the zone with
timedatectl. - If it is Ubuntu Core, configure
system.timezonethroughsnap set system, then verify withtimedatectl.
In every case, verification is part of the change, not an optional extra. The selected city in Settings or the identifier reported by timedatectl is the evidence that the intended system value is active.
Free tools Windows power users keep installed
One-click scans. No signup required.
Version considerations
The referenced timedatectl documentation corresponds to systemd 261.3-0ubuntu3. Command names and the set-timezone workflow remain applicable even as Ubuntu changes its time-synchronization service. Ubuntu 25.10’s move from systemd-timesyncd to chrony changes how synchronization is provided; it does not remove the timezone command.
Interface wording can vary slightly between Ubuntu Desktop releases, but the documented navigation remains Settings ▸ System ▸ Date & Time ▸ Time Zone. If a release presents a reorganized Settings window, search for “Date & Time” and look for the same Time Zone and Automatic Time Zone controls.
Quick Recap
Final verification checklist
- The chosen location corresponds to where the machine is currently used.
- Automatic timezone selection is disabled when you need a fixed manual choice.
- The identifier came from the system’s timezone list or the graphical location picker.
timedatectlreports the expected Time zone value after the change.- The RTC is kept in UTC when possible.
- Clock synchronization problems are diagnosed separately from timezone selection.
- Ubuntu Core devices use the
system.timezonesnap setting.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
