Change the date on your computer (system clock + taskbar calendar in Windows 7)
The previous tutorial explained how to change the system clock's time in Windows 7: now we'll show you how to change the date, which affects every part of Windows 7, from the timestamp showing on files you create (date created attribute) or save (modified date), any reminder you have setup (either through the Task Scheduler or calendaring programs like Outlook 2007), etc.
Change the system date in Windows 7
Follow these steps to modify the current date on your computer:
Right-click on the system clock in the taskbar, and choose "Adjust Date/time" from the context menu (system clock also shows date).- When Windows 7 opens the "Date And Time" dialog, click on the button labeled "Change Date And Time": you may need to enter the computer Administrator's password to modify date and time settings.
- Windows will now open the Date and Time Settings dialog, which contains a calendar on the left, with the current date selected, as shown on the screenshot below:
- All you need to do to change the calendar's date in Windows 7 is to select another day from the mini-calendar displayed under the word "Date". Note that to change the day, you just need to click on another date in the same month; if you want to actually change month, click on the left and right arrows to navigate to the previous month or the next month.
Tip: to view all months inside the calendar date picker, just click on the current month name, and Windows 7 will show all months inside the calendar itself. And if you then click on the year at the top, you will see several years to choose from: in other words, from this simple calendar, you can change the date's day, month, or year - and a final click will show decades!
- Now that you know how to change the date, month, and year (and even decade!) inside the calendar date picker, just find out what the current date is, and modify your computer's date accordingly.
- Click OK to save your new date settings, click OK to close the Date and Time dialog and return to Windows. To check that your PC now shows the correct date, click on the system clock, and Windows 7 will show a mini calendar popup, with today's date automatically selected:
Note: Our taskbar is moved at the top of the screen, but the same functionality is also there when your taskbar is in the standard position, at the bottom of the screen. You can click on the system clock regardless of its position, and get the same effect.
Tip: Windows 7 displays the date next to the clock in the system tray (notification area), as long as you are using large icons in the taskbar: if you want to know the current date, but are using small icons, just move your mouse pointer (cursor) above the clock and leave it there for about a second - and Windows will show you the current date in a tooltip: