Online Clock

What time is it, to the second

The clock shows hours, minutes and seconds in large fixed-width digits: they do not shift by a pixel when the time changes, which keeps them readable from across a room. Under the time are the full date, with the day of the week, and the time zone your device reports.

It updates on the real second boundary rather than on a counter that adds up, so it does not slowly fall behind over the hours, and it re-reads the clock the moment you come back to the tab.

12-hour or 24-hour, seconds, date and time zone

The buttons under the clock control the display. "24-hour" switches between the 12-hour clock with AM and PM, the default here (2:30 PM), and the 24-hour clock (14:30) that the military, hospitals and most of the world outside North America use. "Seconds", "Date" and "Time zone" show or hide each line.

The same moment goes by several names: 2:30 PM is 14:30 on a 24-hour clock, "fourteen thirty" in military time and "half past two" out loud. The pair people mix up most is 12:00 AM, which is midnight, and 12:00 PM, which is noon.

Your choices are remembered on this device, so the clock looks the same the next time you open it. If you have it open in two tabs, changing a setting in one updates the other.

A full-screen clock

The Full screen button turns the page into a large, plain digital clock with no menu and nothing else on it. That is the point of this page for most people: a second monitor that shows the time during a practice exam, a classroom or meeting room display, a workshop wall, or a tablet propped up on a desk.

Press Escape, or the button again, to come back to the page.

Where the time comes from

From your own device. The clock reads the system time and shows it in the time zone your browser reports; nothing is looked up on a server and your location is never used. Computers and phones set themselves against internet time servers, which normally keeps them accurate to well under a second. Once the page has loaded, the clock keeps running without a connection.

The United States spans six main time zones, from Eastern to Hawaii-Aleutian. Most of the country moves its clocks forward on the second Sunday in March and back on the first Sunday in November; Hawaii and most of Arizona do not. The clock follows those changes on its own, because it applies the rules of the time zone your device is set to.

Frequently asked questions

What time is it right now?

The time at the top of this page is your device's time, seconds included. If your device sets its clock automatically, which is the default, it is accurate to within a second.

How do I show the clock full screen?

Press Full screen under the time, or press the F key. The clock then fills the whole screen in large digits. Press Escape to come back.

How do I switch between a 12-hour and a 24-hour clock?

Use the 24-hour button under the clock. Off, it shows 2:30 PM; on, it shows 14:30. The choice is remembered on this device.

Does the clock adjust for daylight saving time?

Yes. It applies the rules of your device's time zone, so when the clocks change the display moves forward or back an hour with nothing for you to do.

The time shown is wrong. What should I do?

The clock repeats your device's time and time zone, so if it is wrong the device setting is wrong too. Turn on automatic date and time in your system settings and check the time zone.