How To Set Raspberry Pi Time

For most people, the Raspberry Pi operating system (whatsoever the one you use) will do this in the groundwork, and it shouldn't be an issue.
But in some cases, similar if you lot are just getting started on Raspberry Pi or using information technology without an Cyberspace connectedness, it can be an issue.
In this mail service, nosotros'll encounter how to fix whatever date & time issue on Raspberry Pi.

NTP is enabled by default on Raspberry Pi OS, and will connect to an Net server to ready the engagement and time appropriately.
It'southward possible to set date and time manually, from the desktop interface or with the command "sudo date -s 'YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS'".

I will now guide you lot through the details, and give you a solution that should help in about cases, whatever if you are using a Desktop environment or not, and if your Pi is connected to the Internet or not.

Why are date and fourth dimension an outcome on Raspberry Pi?

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On a computer, you'll rarely think almost setting the date and time correctly.
Y'all might configure information technology later the installation, and will probably forget well-nigh it for years.
Simply on Raspberry Pi, you might have an effect regularly, specially when using information technology without Internet access, or by not using a contempo Raspberry Pi Bone version.

The starting time reason is that Raspberry Pi OS relies on an Internet connection to get and keep the correct engagement and time.
On the desktop version, there are no ways to fix the date and fourth dimension directly in the Interface, the only thing you tin can modify is the time zone.

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But the other reason comes from a hardware specificity.
On any reckoner, there is a battery that allows the figurer to "remember" the date and fourth dimension, fifty-fifty when asunder from a ability source for a long fourth dimension. On Raspberry Pi, there isn't such a matter.

Lithium battery on a computer motherboard

On recent Raspberry Pi OS versions (since Stretch I think), a package is included to prepare this: "fake-hwclock". It volition shop the electric current date and time in the operating system files, to restore it afterwards a reboot if there is no Internet connection.

If you lot are using an older Raspbian system, or a different operating organization, information technology might be something to expect at before going farther, as I will not cover this example in the following.

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Set up Appointment and Fourth dimension on Raspberry Pi OS with Desktop

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If you are on Raspberry Pis OS, the date and time configuration should be pretty piece of cake if y'all have any Net access.
But let's take a expect at what yous can do to prepare it correctly.

Use the welcome wizard

On the first boot on Raspberry Pi OS, a configuration wizard will show up and ask you a agglomeration of data.
One of them is your location.
Your Pi doesn't just ask for information technology out of curiosity, but to fix the fourth dimension zone according to your answer.

In one case the timezone set, the operating organisation will synchronize the system date and time with an Net server, and brandish the right clock depending on your location.
In nearly cases, you'll be gear up after that. The Raspberry Pi will synchronize regularly with a time provider, and it should be ok.

Use the Raspberry Pi configuration tool

If you miss the welcome sorcerer, or need to modify something in your current configuration, you can employ the Raspberry Pi configuration tool on your system.

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In the main menu, go to Preferences > Raspberry Pi Configuration.
In the "Localisation" tab, y'all tin change the current fourth dimension zone:

Choose the one respective to your location, and click on "Ok" twice to save the changes.
A few seconds afterward, the fourth dimension should be updated in the peak-right corner.

On Raspberry Pi OS with Desktop, this is the only command you accept directly in the interface.
Yous can set a dissimilar fourth dimension zone, but can't set the date and fourth dimension manually.
To manage this, you demand to utilize the command line.
And then, if these tips didn't help you lot, keep reading to observe other solutions.

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Set Appointment and Fourth dimension in the command line

If you are using Raspberry Pi Bone Low-cal, or continued via SSH, you don't have access to these tools. No worry, in that location are similar alternatives while in the command line.

Employ Raspi-config

The easiest way to fix your time zone is to use raspi-config, to get similar results speedily.
Raspi-config is the main configuration tool bachelor on Raspberry Pi OS Light, assuasive you to configure many things, including engagement and time:

Starting time the tool with this command:
sudo raspi-config
Got to "Localisation options", then "Timezone"
Pick a geographic expanse and a specific time zone

Once done, the organisation configuration will be updated with the new engagement/fourth dimension.
Past the way, you tin can apply this control to display the current engagement and fourth dimension:
date

In 1 control

And then, Raspi-config will help us to practise the aforementioned affair every bit in the Desktop interface, but can't even so configure the date and fourth dimension manually.
The only fashion to set a custom date is to use the command line.

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Here is the control to set the date and time manually:
sudo date -due south 'DATE'
For example:
sudo date -southward '2021-01-04 xiii:04:00'
The date is not required, you tin also apply:
sudo engagement -s '13:04:00'
It works the same way.

The appointment control volition handle most date formats, but yous can find more information on the GNU website here if you have any dubiety.
Utilize the command "date" to bank check if it inverse information technology as expected:
date

However, information technology might non work if your system has fourth dimension synchronization enabled (NTP). Yous need to disable it get-go with:
sudo timedatectl ready-ntp false
Once disabled, do the previous command over again, and it should proceed your entry as the current date/fourth dimension.

NTP and Timedatectl configuration

Past the fashion, NTP and Timedatectl are the tools you might demand to understand if you desire to go a flake farther on this topic.
They are the reason why the fourth dimension and appointment synchronization is working with an Internet connexion, but non and then well without it.

NTP is the protocol used for time synchronization on a network, and timedatectl is the tool installed by default on Raspberry Pi OS to manage it.
For example, fifty-fifty if your Raspberry Pi doesn't accept an Internet access, just can access a local network with a fourth dimension server, you tin edit the configuration to synchronize it with your own server instead of a "random" Internet server.

I volition not become into details about this, but I accept a defended guide nigh NTP that you lot should definitely read if you are interested.