If your MacBook shows the wrong time, wrong date, or the wrong time zone, it is almost always a settings or sync problem you can fix in under two minutes. The one exception — a clock that resets to a date years in the past every time you shut down — points at hardware, and we cover that too.
Fix it fast: turn on “Set Time Automatically”
macOS keeps your clock correct by syncing with Apple’s time server over the internet. If that switch is off, the clock drifts or freezes.
- Open System Settings (Apple menu ▸ System Settings). On macOS Monterey or older it’s System Preferences.
- Click General ▸ Date & Time.
- Turn Set time and date automatically ON. If it’s greyed out, click the lock and enter your password first.
- Make sure the source reads time.apple.com.
The clock should correct itself within a few seconds once you’re on Wi-Fi.
Fix the wrong time zone
Right time but a few hours off? That’s a time-zone problem, not a clock problem.
- In Date & Time, click Time Zone (Monterey and later put this on its own tab).
- Turn on Set time zone automatically using your current location.
- If it stays wrong, turn that switch off and pick your city manually from the map or list.
Location-based zones need Location Services on: System Settings ▸ Privacy & Security ▸ Location Services, and scroll down to System Services ▸ Setting Time Zone.
Force a resync (clock is off by seconds or minutes)
If automatic time is already on but the clock is still slightly wrong, force macOS to re-fetch from Apple’s server:
- Toggle Set time automatically off, wait five seconds, and turn it back on.
- Still off? Toggle Wi-Fi off and on — the clock only syncs with a live internet connection.
- Advanced users can force it from Terminal with
sudo sntp -sS time.apple.com.
The real culprit: a clock that resets every shutdown
Here’s the tell that separates a settings glitch from a hardware fault: does the date jump back to something like 2001 or 1970 every time the Mac powers off?
If yes, the small internal battery that keeps time while the laptop is unplugged and off is dead. On older Intel MacBooks this is a coin-cell/SMC battery; on modern Apple-silicon Macs the main battery itself holds the real-time clock, so a badly degraded main battery causes the same symptom. Signs it’s hardware, not software:
- The date resets to a wrong year after every shutdown, no matter how many times you fix it.
- You see certificate or “your connection is not private” errors on websites right after boot (a wrong system date breaks SSL).
- The App Store, iCloud, or Messages refuse to sign in until you correct the date.
The fix is a battery service. On an Apple-silicon MacBook that keeps resetting, the main battery is usually far enough gone that a fresh, healthy machine is the cheaper long-term move than a battery swap on an aging one.
When it’s cheaper to just upgrade
A clock that won’t hold time is often the first visible symptom of a battery near the end of its life — and on a Mac that’s already several years old, a battery service can cost a meaningful chunk of what a newer machine costs on the used market. Right now a refurbished MacBook Air M1 starts at $450, the M2 Air at $549, a Mac Mini M2 at $599, and the 14-inch MacBook Pro (M1 Pro) at $879 — each with a fresh battery and our own one-year warranty. Browse current deals on our Apple clearance page.
FAQ
Why does my MacBook keep showing the wrong date after I fix it?
If the date only stays correct while the Mac is on and resets after every shutdown, the internal timekeeping battery is dead. Fixing the software setting won’t hold — the battery needs service.
My clock is a few minutes off but automatic time is on. Why?
Your Mac hasn’t reached Apple’s time server. Confirm you’re online, then toggle Set Time Automatically off and back on, or toggle Wi-Fi, to force a fresh sync.
The time is right but off by whole hours.
That’s a time-zone setting, not the clock. Turn on “Set time zone automatically using your current location,” and make sure Location Services is enabled for Setting Time Zone.
Can a wrong clock cause website or login errors?
Yes. A system date that’s far off breaks SSL certificate checks, so browsers show privacy warnings and services like the App Store and iCloud may refuse to sign in until the date is correct.