Restore AM/PM and Year Format for Time and Date in Windows 11 Taskbar

• To bring back the AM/PM indicator and the year in the Taskbar, navigate to Settings > Time & Language > Date & Time. Next, click on the “Show time and date in the System tray” option and disable the “Show abbreviated time and date” feature.

In Windows 11, noticing that parts of the time and date in the Taskbar are missing isn’t a glitch; it’s simply the new clock format introduced. Fortunately, there is a way to revert to the full format, and this guide will walk you through the necessary steps.

Having recently updated my Windows 11 system, I observed that the System Tray clock no longer displayed AM/PM indicators and the full year was omitted from the date. It quickly came to mind that Microsoft has opted for a more concise time and date display as the default setting. This change often catches many users off guard as they are unaware of this new standard.

If you prefer the traditional format, Windows 11 allows you to revert to the comprehensive time and date display in the Taskbar; you just need to locate the right settings.

In this guide, I am going to detail how to get the AM/PM indicator and year back on the Taskbar clock in Windows 11.

• Enable full date and time format through Settings
• Enable full date and time format via Registry

Enable Full Date and Time Format through Settings

To set the Taskbar to display the full time and date format on Windows 11, follow these steps:

1. Launch Settings on your Windows 11 device.

2. Proceed to Time & Language.

3. Select the Date & Time page.

4. Find and click on the “Show time and date in the System tray” option.

5. Uncheck the “Show abbreviated time and date” setting.

   

Once you complete these steps, your System Tray will show the time including “AM” or “PM” and the date formatted as month, day, and year.

You can also watch my video on this procedure on my YouTube channel. (Don’t forget to like and subscribe!)

Enabled Full Date and Time Format via Registry

To configure the full date and time display in the Taskbar using the Registry, carry out these steps:

1. Open the Start menu.

2. Search for regedit and select the top result to open the Registry Editor.

3. Navigate to the following path:

   HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced

4. Right-click on the ShowShortenDateTime key and choose Modify.

5. Change the value from 1 to 0.

   

6. Press the OK button.

7. Restart your computer (if necessary).

After following these steps, your Taskbar should resume showing the AM/PM designation for time and the complete date format.

If you decide to revert back to the original settings, simply follow the previous instructions, but in step 5, change the ShowShortenDateTime value back from 0 to 1.

Author: Egor Kostenko

My goal is to make complex technical topics simple and accessible. On this site, I gather unique and useful content that not only solves users’ problems but also helps them better understand the capabilities of Windows.