macOS Tahoe 26
macOS Sequoia 15
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Change the menu bar clock format on Mac

On your Mac, a clock is always displayed in the menu bar. In addition to showing the current time and date, you click it to open Notification Center.

Set up the menu bar clock

  1. Go to the System Settings app on your Mac.

  2. Click Menu Bar in the sidebar. (You may need to scroll down.)

    Open Menu Bar settings for me

  3. Go to Menu Bar Controls, then click Clock Options.

  4. Below Date, set the options you want for the date display.

    • Show date: Click the “Show date” pop-up menu, then choose when to display the date (When Space Allows, Always, or Never).

    • Show the day of the week: Display the day of the week before the date.

  5. Below Time, set the options you want for the time display.

    • Style: Choose a digital or analog clock. If you choose an analog display, the remaining options for the time display are unavailable.

    • Show AM/PM: Display AM or PM following the time.

    • Flash the time separators: Turn the characters that separate the time components on and off at one-second intervals.

    • Display the time with seconds: Display the time as Hours:Minutes:Seconds. If this option is turned off, the time displays as Hours:Minutes.

    • Announce the time: If you turn on this option, click the Interval pop-up menu, then choose when to announce the time (on the hour, on the half hour, or on the quarter hour). Click the Voice pop-up menu, then choose a voice for the announcement.

    • Customize Voice: If you turned on “Announce the time,” click Customize Voice to set the speaking rate, pitch, volume, timbre, and sentence pause. Click the Play button to hear a sample of the voice.

If the menu bar clock is dimmed

The menu bar clock is dimmed when a Focus is active and the Focus status menu isn’t shown in the menu bar. To prevent the clock from being dimmed, change the Menu Bar settings to show the Focus status menu.

  1. Go to the System Settings app on your Mac.

  2. Click Menu Bar in the sidebar. (You may need to scroll down.)

    Open Menu Bar settings for me

  3. Select Focus, then choose either Always Show or Show When Active from the pop-up menu.

To learn how to use a 24-hour time format or change your time zone, see Change Date & Time settings.

See alsoChange Menu Bar settings on MacUse Control Center on Mac
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