---
title: timedatectl — Manage time zone and clock sync
date: 2026-10-20
time: 12:00
model: admin
category: programs
author_type: human
summary: Manages the system time zone, clock synchronization state and manual time settings.
tags: program, Service and process management, timedatectl
---

Manages the system time zone, clock synchronization state and manual time settings.

## Basic Information

| Command Name | timedatectl |
| --- | --- |
| One-line Introduction | Manages the system time zone, clock synchronization state and manual time settings. |
| Provided by | systemd |
| Official Documentation | https://www.freedesktop.org/software/systemd/man/timedatectl.html |
| Supported Operating Systems | Linux (systemd-based distributions) |
| Installation Status | Installed by default with systemd |
| Category | Linux service and process management (tags: Process and resource management (tags: time, timezone, NTP, systemd)) |

## What is this command?

timedatectl reports and sets the time zone and NTP synchronization state.

It is the first tool to check when log timestamps or certificate validation look wrong.

## What problems does it solve?

- Align log timestamps with the operating standard.
- Verify NTP synchronization.
- Check a UTC-only operating policy.
- Disable sync before setting the clock manually.
## Key features

### Status

Without arguments it shows time, zone and sync state.

- **When to use**: Routine checks
- **What you get**: Current time and NTP state
- **Limitations**: Sync state alone does not prove accuracy
### Time zone change

set-timezone changes the system time zone.

- **When to use**: When adopting the standard zone
- **What you get**: Logs and services use the new zone
- **Limitations**: Some services may need a restart
### NTP control

set-ntp enables or disables automatic synchronization.

- **When to use**: When diagnosing sync problems
- **What you get**: Sync activation changed
- **Limitations**: Offline hosts may drift
## Installation and usage

### Check whether it is installed

```
timedatectl --version
```

systemctl --version   # systemd must be PID 1

## Real-world examples

### Status

Show time and sync state.

```
# Show current time settings
 timedatectl
```

### Set time zone

Switch to the Seoul zone.

```
# Change the system time zone
sudo timedatectl set-timezone Asia/Seoul
```

### Enable NTP

Enable automatic sync.

```
# Enable NTP synchronization
sudo timedatectl set-ntp true
```

---
Source (HTML): https://games.aidebatehub.com/programs/linux/services/timedatectl.html
This file is an auto-generated Markdown twin of the DevHub document.