Computer

Customize the Windows clock by adding the seconds counter

Next, we navigate to the following location:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER / SOFTWARE / Microsoft / Windows / CurrentVersion / Explorer / Advanced

Now, we need to check if the value exists ShowSecondsInSystemClock under the Advanced key, but as it normally does not exist, we must create it.

Windows registry clock with seconds

To do this we are going to right-click on the right panel and select the option New > 32-bit DWORD Value. Once created, we name it ShowSecondsInSystemClock and assign it the value 1 in hexadecimal to activate that value.

Once this is done, we can now close the system registry, but according to what we can verify, the Windows 10 clock is still displayed in the HH:mm format without the seconds.

For the changes made in the registry to take effect and we can start seeing the clock with HH:mm:ss format, we will have to Restart the system. Once the system boots again, we will check how the clock format has changed in the taskbar and the seconds are shown.

windows 10 clock with seconds

If at any time we want to revert the change, we just have to access the same path within the Registry and delete the key created.

Does it work on Windows 11?

Windows 11 brings with it a big design change that modifies the appearance of the Start menu, the taskbar, the desktop, among other elements. This also includes the way the operating system displays the system clock on the taskbar.

In Windows 10, as we have seen, we can apply a registry modification to allow the seconds to be displayed in the system clock of the taskbar. Neverthelessin Windows 11 this modification is no longer applicable and there is, at the moment, no other system modification or registration method that allows us to display seconds on the clock.

And it is that Microsoft decided to completely remove this feature of Windows 11 and one of the reasons could be performance. In the first versions of Windows back in the 90s, the taskbar supported seconds, but it ended up becoming something optional since they generated performance problems, something that should not happen today where it is normal to have more than 8 GB of RAM. However, the frequent updates required to display seconds on the taskbar can still cause our computer to become slower than normal.

The only way to get the system tray clock to show the seconds is through the installation of a third-party application.

Programs to add seconds to the clock

To show the seconds in the system tray clock we can make use of programs developed by third parties for this purpose. These are compatible with both Windows 10 and Windows 11 and avoid us having to make changes to the registry to achieve it.

T-Clock, fully customize the Windows 10 clock

This application aims to improve the Windows 10 clock. To do this, it changes its default format and allows the seconds counter to be displayed, along with the current day and date. It also allows you to modify the time format and customize it even more, modifying the font and size, the colors and the type of background, as well as the position of the clock within the taskbar. The application is open source and free and we can download it from its repository on GitHub.

T-Clock menu Options

from his own configuration window, we will be able to set customizable alarms and timers and a stopwatch are also included to monitor the activity that we are carrying out. We’ll just have to check the Second box to display the seconds on the Windows clock. In addition, it has a productivity tool to improve our workflow. For example, options to manage open windows, access the task manager, quickly open the audio control section or display properties.

ElevenClock, show the seconds counter in Windows 11

This is a third-party program that can help us customize the clock on the Windows 11 taskbar. ElevenClock was designed to bring back this functionality, but has evolved and now allows us to replace our system clock to allow you to customize it, add seconds, move it, change its color, etc. It is open source software, so we can download it for free from GitHub.

ElevenClock

Once installed, it will run in the background, displaying the seconds on the system bar clock. From configuration sectionwe can configure the behavior of the clock (tick to show the seconds), its position and size, the appearance, the date and time settings and even test experimental features.

Start11

It is a customization program for Windows 11 with which you can change the appearance of the taskbar and the Start menu. We can adjust transparencies, colors, shortcuts, icon sizes, program lists, among other elements. Also, starting with build 22610, the program will support the ability to show the seconds inside the clock that appears on the taskbar. That is why this feature will be available to everyone starting with Windows 11 22H2. We can download a free trial version of Start11 from its website. Its price starts from 7.99 euros.

Add seconds with Start11

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