Compare World Clock Time Zones in Windows 11 and 10 for International Meetings

What you need before comparing time zones​

This guide applies to the Clock app included with:

• Windows 11
• Windows 10

You do not need a Microsoft account, administrator access, or an additional app. The Clock app uses your PC’s date, time, and time-zone configuration as its local reference point, so check that Windows is showing the correct local time before relying on it for meeting planning.

A network connection is useful when Windows needs to synchronize its clock, but the World clock list and comparison view are part of the built-in app.

Important: Windows 10 reached end of support on October 14, 2025. The Clock app procedure still applies on Windows 10 installations, but Windows 11 is the supported Windows release for ongoing security updates.

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Add cities to World clock​

Start by adding every city or time zone you regularly need to check. For example, you might add your office location, a remote team’s city, a customer’s location, and a travel destination.

1. Open the Start menu.
2. Type Clock.
3. Select Clock from the results.
4. In the Clock app, select World clock from the left navigation area.
   • If the navigation choices are hidden, select the Toggle navigation button in the upper-left corner first.
   • On a smaller window, widening or maximizing the app can make the navigation area easier to use.
5. Select Add a new city at the bottom of the World clock page.
6. Begin typing the name of the city or location you want to add.
7. Select the appropriate result from the list.
8. Select Add.

The city is added to your World clock view. Its card shows the current local time for that location, allowing you to check the saved locations at a glance without doing manual UTC calculations.

1. Repeat the process for each city you want to track.

For a simple work setup, add only the places you genuinely use. A short list is easier to scan before a call than a map filled with cities you rarely need.

If the city you want does not appear​

Search by a different city in the same time zone. The World clock search is location-based, so it may not include every small town, campus, or regional name. Choosing a well-known city that observes the same time-zone and daylight-saving rules gives you the same practical result for meeting planning.

For example, if a smaller location does not appear, select a nearby major city in the same time zone rather than assuming a similarly named city elsewhere is correct.

Check current times at a glance​

Once your cities are saved, opening World clock is the quickest way to answer the everyday question: “What time is it there now?”

1. Open Clock.
2. Select World clock.
3. Review the city cards.

Each saved location shows its current time. Use this view when you only need a present-time check, such as deciding whether it is reasonable to send a message or start an unscheduled call.

When comparing locations, pay attention to the date as well as the hour. A city far enough ahead of your location may already be on the next calendar day. This matters especially when you are arranging calls between the Americas, Europe, Asia, Australia, or New Zealand.

The World clock view is more dependable than memorizing a fixed hour difference because time-zone offsets can change with daylight-saving transitions. The difference between two cities is not necessarily the same throughout the year.

Compare a proposed meeting time​

The Compare feature is the useful part of World clock when you are planning a meeting rather than checking the time right now. It lets you move through a time slider and see the corresponding time in each saved location.

1. Open Clock and select World clock.
2. Confirm that the cities needed for the meeting are already visible.
3. Select Compare. The button uses an icon that resembles two clocks with an arrow.
4. Select a time on the slider.
5. Move along the slider until you reach the local time you are considering for the meeting.
6. Read the corresponding time shown for each saved city.

Use the results to identify a workable window. For example, if a proposed 10:00 AM call for you is late evening for one colleague and before dawn for another, move the slider until the tradeoff is acceptable.

1. When you are finished comparing, select the Back arrow in the upper-left corner to return to the normal World clock view.

A practical way to plan international calls​

Use this sequence before creating the calendar event:

1. Decide the preferred local time for the meeting host or primary audience.
2. In World clock, choose Compare.
3. Set the slider to that local time.
4. Check whether any participant’s location is outside reasonable working hours.
5. Move the slider in small increments until the schedule is acceptable.
6. Create the meeting in your calendar using your normal local time and verify the invitation’s time zone before sending it.

World clock is a planning aid, not a meeting scheduler. It helps you select a sensible time; your calendar or meeting service creates and sends the invitation.

Pin Clock for faster access​

If you use World clock often, pin the Clock app so you do not need to search for it each time. Pinning gives you quick access to the World clock cities you have already saved.

Pin Clock to the taskbar​

1. Open Start.
2. Type Clock.
3. In the search results, right-click Clock.
4. Select Pin to taskbar.

The Clock icon remains on the taskbar after you close the app. Select it whenever you need to open World clock and check or compare locations.

Pin Clock to Start​

1. Open Start.
2. Type Clock.
3. Right-click Clock in the search results.
4. Select Pin to Start.

The app appears in the pinned area of the Start menu.

Note: Pinning applies to the Clock app, not to an individual city card. Open the app and select World clock to view your saved locations.

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Remove the taskbar pin later​

If you no longer want the shortcut:

1. Right-click the Clock icon on the taskbar.
2. Select Unpin from taskbar.

This only removes the shortcut. It does not uninstall Clock or remove the cities already saved in World clock.

Verify that the comparison is trustworthy​

Before you use the result to book an important meeting, make these quick checks:

• Confirm that the city name is the intended location, particularly when different places share or resemble the same name.
• Check the displayed date as well as the time. A city may be on the previous or next day.
• Compare the displayed time with a participant’s stated local time if you are scheduling across a daylight-saving change.
• Make sure your own Windows clock is correct.
• Recheck a recurring meeting shortly before a daylight-saving transition if participants are in regions that follow different seasonal rules.

Windows maintains a time-zone database and updates its time-zone information through Windows updates. That is useful when local governments change their time rules, but it also means an unsupported or outdated Windows installation may not receive current changes.

Fix incorrect local time before relying on World clock​

If every World clock result appears to be offset by the same amount, the most likely issue is your PC’s own date, time, or time zone. Correct that first.

1. Open Start and select Settings.
2. Select Time & language.
3. Select Date & time.
4. Check that Set time automatically is turned on.
5. Check that Set time zone automatically is turned on if you want Windows to determine your time zone from your location.
6. If you prefer to control the time zone yourself, turn Set time zone automatically off.
7. Under Time zone, select the correct time zone from the list.
8. If automatic time-zone selection is off, make sure Adjust for daylight saving time automatically is enabled when that option is available.

Return to Clock > World clock and check the locations again. The saved city times should now align with the corrected local setting.

Warning: Do not manually change your PC’s clock merely to make a meeting easier to visualize. A wrong system time can interfere with calendar appointments, file timestamps, sign-in checks, certificates, and synchronization services. Use World clock’s Compare mode instead.

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Troubleshoot World clock problems​

The World clock option is not visible​

Open the Clock app and select the Toggle navigation button in the upper-left corner. On narrow windows, the navigation menu may be collapsed. Then choose World clock.

If you cannot find the app at all, open Start and search for Clock rather than browsing the full app list.

A location search returns no useful result​

Try a larger city in the same time zone. The app asks you to select a location from its list, so the exact suburb, town, or office name may not be present.

Do not substitute a city based only on country name or a familiar label. Some countries span multiple time zones, and some regions use different daylight-saving rules.

The time is one hour wrong​

First check Windows’ own time-zone configuration at Settings > Time & language > Date & time. An incorrect selected time zone or daylight-saving setting can affect how you interpret the comparison.

Next, check whether the location is currently observing daylight saving time while your location is not, or vice versa. This is a common reason that a difference you remember from another season is now off by one hour.

The time is several hours wrong​

Verify that you added the intended city. A similarly named result in another country or region can produce a large offset.

Also verify that your Windows date, time, and time zone are correct. If the local system clock itself is wrong, correct it in Date & time settings before relying on World clock.

Clock opens, but it does not go directly to World clock​

That is normal if you last used another feature in the Clock app. Select World clock from the navigation menu. Pinning the Clock app provides fast access to the app, while the World clock section remains the place where your saved cities and comparison slider are available.

You need the list to be easier to reach​

Pin the Clock app to the taskbar. This is the supported quick-access approach for regular use. Keep the saved World clock list focused on a few recurring locations so that opening the app immediately gives you a readable, useful overview.