Here’s how to get the full date and time view back on the Windows 11 taskbar

A recent Windows 11 update shortened the date and time format displayed in the taskbar. When I first noticed it, I thought I might have clicked some settings wrong. It turns out that the new update forces the abbreviated format by default. Here’s how to change it again.

Restore the old time and date format

First, go to “Settings” using the search option on the Windows taskbar.

Go to “Time & Language”. Then go to “Date & Time”.

You should see a drop-down menu labeled “Show time and date on taskbar.” Click on it. You should see a checkbox labeled “Show abbreviated date and time.” If it is checked, uncheck the box.

When you’re done, check your taskbar. If you did everything correctly, the date and time format should return to its previous state, like this:

If you prefer the new shorter format, you can check this box again.

Since this is a Windows update, I’m sure a lot of people asked about it. However, making it the default option without any sign of notification was a bit confusing. Luckily, it’s pretty easy to reverse the problem, so don’t worry. If you are facing other problems related to Windows updates such as: In some cases, such as a game crash or scanner connectivity, the fixes are sometimes more involved.