How To Display Seconds on Your Windows 11 Clock

Want to see seconds tick by on your Windows 11 clock? Here’s how you can add that extra layer of precision. With a few quick tweaks, you can display seconds right on the taskbar. It involves a straightforward change in the system registry—nothing too crazy, but yeah, you have to edit some system settings. Just follow the steps carefully, and you’ll be set in no time. Sometimes, Windows stubbornly hides this feature, and it needs a little nudge via the registry. No worries, though—it’s pretty simple once you get the hang of it.

How to show seconds in the Windows 11 clock

Before diving in, just remember—it involves editing the registry. If you’re uncomfortable messing around there, it’s good to back things up first. But honestly, if you follow the steps, it’s safe enough. Sometimes, after editing, a quick restart of Explorer or the machine helps make sure the change sticks. Oh, and make sure your system’s up to date—Windows updates can sometimes mess with custom registry tweaks.

Open the Registry Editor

Press Win + R, type regedit, and hit Enter.
This opens the Registry Editor, which looks kinda intimidating but is just a fancy way to tweak deep system settings.

Pro tip: If you get a UAC prompt, just click Yes. No big deal, just Windows asking if you really want to do this. Sometimes, on some machines, it might need to run as administrator, especially if you hit a permission wall.

Navigate to the right path

Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced.
This is where Windows keeps a lot of user-specific UI options, including the clock display settings.

Trust me, it’s a bit of a maze if you’ve never been here before. Make sure you’re in the right place or else the rest won’t work.

Create a new DWORD

Right-click inside the right pane, select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value.
Name it ShowSecondsInSystemClock. Sounds fancy, but it’s just telling Windows “Hey, show seconds, please.”

This is the magic switch. On some setups, just creating this DWORD triggers the seconds to show, but sometimes you need a reboot or restart of Explorer to see the magic happen.

Set the value to activate seconds display

Double-click the ShowSecondsInSystemClock DWORD, and set the value data to 1.
This turns on the feature. Honestly, setting it to 0 would disable it, but that’s not what we want here.

If you’re curious, a value of 0 usually turns off optional features, so 1 is “on” in this case. Not sure why it works that way, but hey, it does.

Refresh the system clock

Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
Find Windows Explorer in the list, right-click, then choose Restart.

The Explorer restart is usually enough to refresh the taskbar clock. Sometimes, a full reboot is needed if the change doesn’t show right away, but on most setups, just restarting Explorer does the trick. On some machines, the seconds won’t appear until after a reboot, so don’t stress if it’s not visible immediately.

Tips & Tricks for Making It Work

Always back up your registry before making any changes—just in case you want to revert back later.
If you want to undo this, just delete the ShowSecondsInSystemClock DWORD or change its value to 0.
Sometimes, a full system restart helps if the seconds still aren’t showing after Explorer restart.
Make sure Windows is updated—old versions can sometimes block this tweak or cause odd side effects.
Stick to the path and values mentioned; other registry tweaks can be risky if you’re not sure what they do.

Quick FAQs

Can I add seconds without messing with the registry?

Not really. This tweak specifically needs a registry edit right now. Windows doesn’t natively support seconds in the clock yet, so this is kinda the workaround.

What if I mess up in the registry?

That’s why it’s smart to back it up before making changes. If things go sideways, just restore the backup or delete the ShowSecondsInSystemClock DWORD.

Will this slow down my PC?

Nope. Adding seconds doesn’t impact performance at all—just visual info in the clock.

Is this change permanent?

It’s reversible. Just delete the DWORD or set it to 0, and the seconds will disappear again.

Do I need admin rights?

Yes, editing the registry requires administrator access, so make sure you run regedit as admin if you run into permission issues.

Summary

Open Registry Editor.
Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced.
Create a DWORD (32-bit) Value named ShowSecondsInSystemClock.
Set its Value Data to 1.
Restart Explorer or your PC to see the seconds on your taskbar clock.

Wrap-up

Adding seconds to the Windows 11 clock is kind of a weird thing—one of those hidden tweaks that isn’t straightforward, but totally doable. It’s one of those little extras that can be handy if you’re timing stuff or just obsessed with seeing every second tick by. On some systems, it’s a quick fix; on others, maybe a little restart or re-login is needed. Either way, it’s a small change that brings a bit more detail to your desktop, and honestly, sometimes that’s all it takes to feel a little more in control of your digital world.