7 Ways to Fix the Missing Clock Icon From the Windows 10 Taskbar
Taking a quick peek at the corner of your screen and not finding the clock there is confusing and irritating. After all, how can the time and date go missing?
Although the time and date icons are usually obedient, they misbehave occasionally. Sometimes, they disappear entirely from the Windows taskbar, and at other times, they remain hidden unless the cursor hovers directly above them.
Either way, this usually isn’t a serious problem that can’t be easily rectified. If you don’t know how to fix the missing time and date from the Windows taskbar, here’s what you can do.
1. Restart Your Windows Device
First, restart your PC before moving on to more technical solutions. As with many computer problems, rebooting resolves half of the issues, including a missing clock from the Windows taskbar.
It clears the RAM and temporary cache and resets everything to its normal state upon reactivation. The slowdowns and errors caused by an overactive RAM cease, and the PC starts with a clean, new slate.
This does it for many users, but if the issue persists for you, try out these other options.
2. Switch the Clock Icon On
If rebooting your PC didn’t work, it could be because the clock’s turned off, whether through an accident or glitch. Nevertheless, the solution is quite simple. Here’s how you can get the missing date and time icons back on your Windows taskbar:
3. Increase Taskbar Size if You’re Using Small Taskbar Icons
When we switch to small taskbar buttons, we may think the day and date icons are missing from the Windows taskbar. In reality, they’re just hidden in plain sight, unable to fit on the smaller taskbar.
An increased taskbar size is needed to access the full clock icon. Here’s how you expand it:
You’ll see the date, time, and day icons tucked on the Windows taskbar. However, if this method didn’t work, you could check if switching off small taskbar icons does the trick. Navigate toSettings > Personalization > Taskbarand toggle offUse small taskbar icons.
4. Fine-Tune the Tablet Mode
Operating your Windows device on tablet mode can result in the disappearance of the clock from the Windows taskbar.
Moving forward, you can do two things to retrieve the missing time and date icons:switch off tablet modeor tweak its settings without deactivating it. Here’s how you do the latter:
5. Change the Taskbar Theme
Recently changed themes may have reset the clock functionality, resulting in missing time and date icons on the Windows taskbar. Try changing the theme back to default to restore the clock to its original place.
To change the theme:
If you can’t find a theme you like, you can look for anddownload some of the best Windows 10 themesto make your PC look fresh.
6. Reconfigure the Date and Time Format
The date and time format you’ve chosen may be incompatible with the Windows taskbar, thus, explaining the missing icons. Reconfiguring the date and time back to the appropriate format can help you restore a fully functioning clock icon.
7. Take Corrective Action After a Windows Update
Sometimes, the time and date icons go missing after a Windows update. It’s probably because the update contains a vulnerability patch that moved the active taskbar to the bottom of the screen or prompted the clock’s disappearance.
It’s usually nothing to fret about and can be dealt with in two ways. If the update affects your entire taskbar, navigate toSettings > Personalization > Taskbar.Here, make sure thatLock the taskbaris toggled on, whileAutomatically hide the taskbar in desktop modeandAutomatically hide the taskbar in tablet modeare toggled off. This should restore the taskbar to its original location.
On the other hand, if only the date and time icons have taken the hit, upgrade your Windows device to the latest release. Microsoft’s known for addressing bugs and vulnerabilities on theirmonthly Patch Tuesdays, and the latest patch will probably fix your clock. To do this, head over toSettings > Update & Security > Windows Update,and if there’s an available update, install it.
Bring Back the Time and Date Icons to Your Windows 10 Taskbar
The missing date and time icons aren’t a huge issue but an irritating one. Where there could be so many reasons for these icons to disappear from your Windows taskbar, there are enough multiple solutions mentioned above, and hopefully, one of them’s worked for you.
And now that your taskbar’s up and running again, you can always give it a fresh new look by customizing it with these nifty tricks.
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