How to Show Seconds in Taskbar Clock on Windows 11

We all are familiar with the taskbar clock or better said, the digital clock at the bottom right corner of our computer screens running Windows. It displays the time, in hours and minutes, which is basically what everyone needs, but we often need to see the seconds, as well. With the latest update to Windows 11, it can show seconds right in the Windows taskbar clock. That way, if you are wide awake to wish happy birthday to your best friend, you can be exactly on time. 

Even for some serious activities, where every second matters, it will be really useful for you if you can see the seconds alongside the usual time displayed in terms of hours and minutes. That said, today I will talk about how to show seconds in the Windows taskbar clock if you are on Windows 11. This feature is not enabled by default, and hence you will need to execute the steps to make the seconds visible in the clock.

Let’s get started with how to show seconds in the Windows taskbar clock on the latest version of Windows 11.

Show seconds in the Windows taskbar clock (Step-by-step guide)

Step 1: Get started by opening your Windows 11 Settings. There are many ways you can open Settings. You can open it using the Settings cog icon in the Start menu, however, the best way is to use the ‘Windows + I’ shortcut key.

Step 2: Once there, click on ‘Personalization’ on the left panel, and hence click on ‘Taskbar’.

Show seconds in Windows 11 taskbar

Step 3: Expand ‘Taskbar behaviors’ in the Taskbar settings by tapping on the small down arrow. This option should be the last option in the Taskbar settings area.

Step 4: Now, scroll down and place a tick in the box corresponding to ‘Show seconds in system tray clock’.

Show seconds in system tray clock windows 11

Now, you should instantly see the seconds in your Windows 11 taskbar clock. You can disable the visibility of the seconds, the same way you enabled it by removing the tick.

While this is a neat addition to show seconds in the Windows taskbar clock, this requires more resources, and hence more power. It means, if you are on battery, you can see the seconds at the cost of your battery life. Even if you are doing some heavy work that requires extensive resources, it will be an extra burden for your CPU to update the time in the taskbar clock every second.

Hence, you should only use this feature, only if you need to be very precise regarding what the time is. It can be useful in certain situations, for example, during booking Tatkal train tickets, at the time of flash sales, or similar incidents, where the outcome can vary significantly if you are even one second late. So, just enable the feature when you need it, and disable it once the need is over.

So, that’s all about how to show seconds in the Windows taskbar clock. Do you have any questions? Feel free to comment on the same below.