Fix Automatic Date & Time sync Wrong Date and Time Mac Sonoma

Last Updated on Aug 29, 2023

Although MacBooks are known for perfection and delivering an intuitive user experience, like all the other devices, the Mac also faces some minor issues like displaying an incorrect date, time, and location of your country. The MacBook has a unique feature that automatically updates the date and time by using the device’s location, and if it is not enabled, the Mac displays a random date and time on its screen.

This problem arises due to various issues like software glitches, traveling for work or pleasure to a different country, etc. fixing, which might sound complicated but is actually very simple. So, to set the date, time, and location settings of your MacBook, pay close attention to the contents of this post and never worry about these problems.

Follow the below Solutions to Correct the Date and Time on Mac

Also Read:- Does your Mac change Daylight saving time automatically?

➡️ Before proceeding with the steps below, Make sure VPN is turned off or any other apps showing your Mac’s Fake location.

1: Restart the MacBook

With a simple restart of your Mac, you can solve a lot of minor problems like the device showing the wrong date, time, or location. Hence, before getting into any significant settings for fixing the incorrect date and time, we recommend you restart your Mac and check if the problem is solved. To restart the Mac, follow the simple steps below.

Step. 1→ Look for the Apple logo at the top left corner of the desktop and click on it.
Step. 2→ Then, click on the restart option in the menu that drops.

Wait for your MacBook to restart. (This might take a few minutes, so be patient.) Check if the date and time settings have been refreshed to the correct readings or not.

2: Monitor the Date and Time Settings on your Mac

Another effective solution for fixing the issue of incorrect date and time on the Mac is verifying whether the date and time settings have a few options enabled. Ensure you have the admin permission before getting into this process. To monitor your Mac’s Date and Time settings, follow the procedure below.

Steps to set Correct Time Zone on macOS Ventura & Up version Mac users

Are you stuck with the wrong time zone or PST after the macOS Ventura update? Don’t worry; follow the bottom steps to set the correct time zone that suits your current location.

1→ Go to the Apple Logo () appears on the top-left menu bar on your Mac. Choose System Settings.

2→ Click General. Hit on Data & Time tab.

3→ on this screen, Enable the toggle given below.

• Set time and date automatically
• Set time zone automatically using your current location
  • For example, Closest city Name; (for example Name = Newyork, United States)

Steps to set Time Zone on macOS Monterey and Down Version

Step. 1→ Tap on the Apple menu at the top left corner of your display and select system preferences.

Step. 2→ Now click on the Date & Time settings in the system preferences tab.

Step. 3→ Then, check if the option labeled as “Set Date and Time Automatically” is enabled or not. If the option is turned off, check the box before it to enable the setting.

Once the “Set Date and Time Automatically” option is enabled, your MacBook will automatically configure itself to set the date and time by connecting to Apple’s Time service.

3: Manually Set Date & Time on Mac

If even after enabling the setting of “Set Date and Time Automatically,” your MacBook is showing incorrect date and time readings, then the next best thing you can do is set the date and time manually. Mac users can manually set the date and time by following the instructions below.

Step. 1→ Open the system preferences window by clicking the Apple logo at the top.

Step. 2→ Then, press the Date & Time icon.

Step. 3→ Now, in the Date and Time window, disable the “Set date and Time Automatically” setting by unchecking the mark in front of it.

Step. 4→ Finally, set the correct date and time manually according to your country or region.

With this simple method, you can set the Date and Time manually on your MacBook in just a few minutes.

4: Allow the MacBook to Set Time Zone Automatically

The Mac’s exciting feature that allows the device to update the date and time automatically according to the data provided by the Apple Location services helps Mac buyers travel freely without worrying about changing the date and time settings. Hence, to allow the MacBook to set a time zone automatically, take note of the method explained here.

Step. 1→ First, click on the Apple icon and go to System Preferences.

Step. 2→ Then, tap on the Date and Time settings in the system preferences pane.

Step. 3→ Now, click on the Time Zone tab and enable the “Set Time Zone Automatically” option.

Step. 4→ Next, a pop-up alerting you about the location services being inactive will appear on the screen. Hit the Open Privacy Preferences button on the pop-up.

Step. 5→ After that, check the Enable Location Services option and click on Details next to the System Services label.

Step. 6→ Finally, enable the Setting Time Zone option in the details window and press Done.

To set the Current time Zone manually, Uncheck the option, “Set time zone automatically using current location” and click on Map to set the time for that location. Also, use the Dropdown to find the location. That’s hard to find for your location.

Once you have enabled this setting, your MacBook will automatically update the date and time according to the location of your device. Whenever the user travels to a different time zone or country, the Mac will automatically update the date and time using the location services.

5: Unable to Determine the Current Location at this Time on Mac

If, while enabling the “set time zone automatically” option, you an error message saying Unable to determine the current location at this time then try out the following things-

• Step 1: Turn off VPN if enabled.

• Step 2: For fixing the location, service issues,
  • Go to Apple Logo > System Settings/Preferences > Security & Privacy and select Privacy. Then click on Location Services. Ensure that the Enable Location Services setting is selected.

• Step 3: Contact Apple Support

All the methods and solutions explained in this post result from a collection of user reviews and feedback; hence, these methods are known to work. If your work involves a lot of traveling, we recommend you enable the Location services to automatically set the date and time whenever you’re on the move. So go through each solution and see what fixes the problem for you.

Q & A→

Mac Time off by 2 Minutes or 4 Minutes

→ If the MacBook’s time is off by a minute or two, then check whether the “Set date and time automatically” setting is enabled or not. If not, go through this post to enable the setting. Also, you have to check more devices to get to where is the problem. Might be your References clock showing the wrong time.