[Tip] Show Seconds in Taskbar Clock in Windows 10 and 11

This article will help you in enabling “Seconds” count display in the clock present in Taskbar notification area (or system tray) in Windows 10 and Windows 11 operating systems.

Following screenshot shows seconds counter enabled on Taskbar clock in our Windows 11 device:

You can also show seconds in Taskbar clock in your Windows 10 or Windows 11 device using following easy methods:

Enable Seconds in Taskbar Clock in Windows 11

If you are using Windows 11 operating system in your computer, you’ll need the recently released Moment 3 Update (or feature drop 3) installed in your device to be able to show seconds in Taskbar clock. The functionality to show seconds in Taskbar clock was implemented in Moment 3 Update only. So you’ll need the update installed to enjoy the feature.

NOTE: If the Moment 3 Update is installed in your Windows 11 device, the Windows version will be displayed as 22621 or higher in Winver dialog box. You can check the version of Windows 11 in your system using any method given in this article.

Most of the Windows 11 devices have been already upgraded to Moment 3 Update automatically. You can also manually download and install the Moment 3 update in your Windows 11 device using following article:

Windows 11 Moment 3 Update (3rd Feature Drop) Released, Here’s What’s New

Once you install the Moment 3 Update in your Windows 11 device, you can enable seconds display using Settings app as mentioned in following steps:

1. Right-click on the empty area in Taskbar and select “Taskbar Settings” option. It’ll open Taskbar settings page.

Alternatively, you can open the same page using Settings app from Start Menu or by pressing WIN+I keys together and then go to “Personalization -> Taskbar” section.

2. On Taskbar settings page, look for “Taskbar Behaviors” section and click on the drop-down arrow button given next to the section name to expand the options list.

Scroll down to bottom and you’ll see a new option “Show seconds in system tray clock (uses more power)” as shown in following screenshot:

Just enable the option and it’ll immediately add seconds to the Taskbar clock.

In future, if you decide to disable or hide seconds in Taskbar clock, uncheck the above mentioned option using Taskbar Settings page.

Registry Tweak to Show Seconds on Taskbar Clock in Windows 10 and Windows 11

Windows 10 users will need to use a hidden secret Registry tweak to show seconds in Taskbar clock as there is no direct UI option available in Windows 10 to enable seconds. The same Registry tweak will also work in Windows 11 to show/hide seconds in Taskbar clock if Moment 3 Update is installed.

We told you about this Registry tweak long time back in year 2015 in our following exclusive article:

Collection of Windows 10 Hidden Secret Registry Tweaks

If you want to show seconds on Taskbar clock in Windows 10 or Windows 11, following steps will help you:

1. Press “WIN+R” key combination to launch RUN dialog box then type regedit and press Enter. It’ll open Registry Editor.

2. Now go to following key:

3. In right-side pane, look for ShowSecondsInSystemClock DWORD. If it’s not present, right-click on empty area and select “New -> DWORD (32-bit) Value” option. Set the new DWORD name as ShowSecondsInSystemClock

4. To enable seconds on Taskbar clock, double-click on the ShowSecondsInSystemClock DWORD and change its value to 1

In Windows 11, the changes will be applied immediately but Windows 10 users will need to restart Explorer or computer to take effects.

In future, if you decide to disable seconds on Taskbar clock, change the ShowSecondsInSystemClock DWORD value to 0

Also Check:

[Tip] Customize Date and Time in Windows 11 Taskbar Clock, Add Your Name, Day, Month

How to Restore or Enable Classic Taskbar in Windows 11 (All Versions)

Disable or Remove Extra Icons and Buttons from Windows 11 Taskbar