Ask Dave Taylor
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Home
  • YouTube Videos
  • Top Categories
  • Subscribe via Email
  • Ask A Question
  • Meet Dave
  • Home
  • Linux Help
  • Switch from 24-Hour Time to AM/PM in Ubuntu Linux?

Switch from 24-Hour Time to AM/PM in Ubuntu Linux?

August 8, 2022 / Dave Taylor / Linux Help / 1 Comment

I’m a bit confused about my new Linux computer showing time in 24-hour format. I don’t think in “1700 hours” notation, however, I think in “am/pm” notation. How can I switch how my Ubuntu Linux system shows the current time?

While tracking time on a 12-hour clock that switches back to the beginning at the moment of the princeps meridiem has been around for thousands of years, lots of people have found it more efficient – and more accurate – to denote time based on a 24-hour clock. We wouldn’t meet at 7pm for dinner, we’d meet at 19oo hours instead. Most military organizations use this notation, with some additional flair like “zero-dark thirty” to denote, well, what time does that denote? Actually, the 24-hour clock starts with hour zero, so that would be 0:30, or 30 minutes after midnight.

Like all modern operating systems, Linux can work either with a 12-hour am/pm time display or a 24-hour time display. The trick is to know where to adjust it to your preference, and that’s what I’ll cover in this tutorial.

Before we get there, however, do you know what am and pm stand for? It’s Latin: ante meridiem (literally, “before the point that the sun is directly overhead”) and post meridiem (literally, “after the point that the sun is directly overhead”). Earlier I referenced princeps meridiem, which you can now puzzle out to be “the point when the sun is directly overhead”, or high noon. The Am/Pm notion wasn’t widely adopted until the 1600s. Prior to that they really didn’t much know what time it was, they just watched the sun and tried to figure out if it was closer to morning or evening.

Okay, back to our task!

TIME DISPLAY FORMAT IN LINUX

The easiest way to see what time display format is being used on your Ubuntu Linux system is to glance at the very top bar. If you’re in 24-hour notation, you’ll see something like this of an afternoon:

ubuntu linux time am/pm 24-hour display - menubar

13:58 is also known as 1:58 pm, of course. But how to fix it? Well, you can try clicking on the time itself, but that shows notifications and a calendar:

ubuntu linux time am/pm 24-hour display - notifications calendar schedule

Helpful except there’s no settings shortcut to get to the right spot to fix the time display format. Instead, go to Settings from the All Apps view on your Linux system.

UBUNTU LINUX: SETTINGS: DATE & TIME

Go down the left side until you find “Date & Time” and click on it. Here’s what you’ll see:

ubuntu linux time am/pm 24-hour display - settings time

In this instance, you can see that the system is using the network for date & time, but not for the current timezone, which is why I’m in Kansas City, Missouri – which is the same timezone as Chicago, Illinois – but my computer thinks I’m still on British Standard Time in London, England. That’s pretty far off!

Before we fix the timezone, however, let’s fix that time format. On the bottom, it denotes “24-hour”. Click on that and you’ll see the other format possibility:

ubuntu linux time am/pm 24-hour display - 24-hour/ampm option

Aha! Choose “AM/PM” and the time will be displayed in the format you desire.

ubuntu linux time am/pm 24-hour display - time format fixed

Notice on the third line, greyed out, it now shows 2:03 PM as desired.

CHOOSE YOUR CORRECT TIMEZONE IN LINUX

But what about the timezone problem? One solution is to enable “Automatic Time Zone” and give your computer a minute or so to figure it out, but it’s more fun to click on the current Time Zone and choose another one from the resultant map:

ubuntu linux time am/pm 24-hour display - choose timezone from map

You can see I have clicked at the right spot and chosen Chicago, United States, where it’s now 8:04 AM, not 2:04 PM. 🙂

Close the window and you’re all set. In fact, why not enable Automatic Time Zone now that everything’s as you desire?

ubuntu linux time am/pm 24-hour display - correct timezone and time format

Mission accomplished. Now, did you want to learn more about why we have 24 hours in a day, not 15 or 47? 😁

Pro Tip: I’ve been writing about Linux since the dawn of the operating system, and Unix before that. Please check out my extensive Linux help area for lots of additional tutorial content while you’re visiting. Thanks!

About the Author: Dave Taylor has been involved with the online world since the early days of the Internet. Author of over 20 technical books, he runs the popular AskDaveTaylor.com tech help site. You can also find his gadget reviews on YouTube and chat with him on Twitter as @DaveTaylor.

Let’s Stay In Touch!

Never miss a single article, review or tutorial here on AskDaveTaylor, sign up for my fun weekly newsletter!
Name: 
Your email address:*
Please enter all required fields
Correct invalid entries
No spam, ever. Promise. Powered by FeedBlitz
Please choose a color:
Starbucks coffee cup I do have a lot to say, and questions of my own for that matter, but first I'd like to say thank you, Dave, for all your helpful information by buying you a cup of coffee!
linux time format, linux timezone

One comment on “Switch from 24-Hour Time to AM/PM in Ubuntu Linux?”

  1. Sheryl says:
    August 6, 2022 at 3:07 pm

    That’s how it should work, but in my case I have it set for AM/PM, but it is still displaying the time as 16.05.

    PS I am not leaving my main email because I don’t share it with websites, so it is kind of a shame I can’t leave a snapshot here to prove my example. But your example does not always work.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Search

Recent Posts

  • How to Check Energy Recommendations on your Windows Laptop
  • How Do I Customize New Tab Windows in Safari for Mac?
  • Can AI-Generated ChatGPT Text Be Accurately Identified?
  • How to Perform a Microsoft Account Security Audit and Checkup
  • How Can I Customize My Linux Dock / Taskbar?

On Our YouTube Channel

How to: Replace a Switchbot Door Sensor Battery

EMEET Luna vs INNOTRIK Studio Bluetooth Speakerphones -- DEMOS & REVIEW

Categories

  • AdSense, AdWords, and PPC Help (106)
  • Amazon, eBay, and Online Shopping Help (163)
  • Android Help (226)
  • Apple iPad Help (147)
  • Apple Watch Help (53)
  • Articles, Tutorials, and Reviews (346)
  • Auto Tech Help (15)
  • Business Advice (200)
  • ChromeOS Help (31)
  • Computer & Internet Basics (778)
  • d) None of the Above (166)
  • Facebook Help (383)
  • Google, Chrome & Gmail Help (188)
  • HTML & Web Page Design (247)
  • Instagram Help (49)
  • iPhone & iOS Help (623)
  • iPod & MP3 Player Help (173)
  • Kindle & Nook Help (99)
  • LinkedIn Help (88)
  • Linux Help (173)
  • Linux Shell Script Programming (89)
  • Mac & MacOS Help (911)
  • Most Popular (16)
  • Outlook & Office 365 Help (33)
  • PayPal Help (68)
  • Pinterest Help (54)
  • Reddit Help (19)
  • SEO & Marketing (82)
  • Spam, Scams & Security (95)
  • Trade Show News & Updates (23)
  • Twitter Help (220)
  • Video Game Tips (66)
  • Web Site Traffic Tips (62)
  • Windows PC Help (947)
  • Wordpress Help (206)
  • Writing and Publishing (72)
  • YouTube Help (47)
  • YouTube Video Reviews (159)
  • Zoom, Skype & Video Chat Help (62)

Archives

Social Connections:

Ask Dave Taylor


Follow Me on Pinterest
Follow me on Twitter
Follow me on LinkedIn
Follow me on Instagram


AskDaveTaylor on Facebook



microsoft insider mvp


This web site is for the purpose of disseminating information for educational purposes, free of charge, for the benefit of all visitors. We take great care to provide quality information. However, we do not guarantee, and accept no legal liability whatsoever arising from or connected to, the accuracy, reliability, currency or completeness of any material contained on this site or on any linked site. Further, please note that by submitting a question or comment you're agreeing to our terms of service, which are: you relinquish any subsequent rights of ownership to your material by submitting it on this site. Our lawyer says "Thanks for your cooperation."
© 2023 by Dave Taylor. "Ask Dave Taylor®" is a registered trademark of Intuitive Systems, LLC.
Privacy Policy - Terms and Conditions - Accessibility Policy