How to synchronize time on a computer with the Internet?

Although the computer is an accurate machine, the clock in it (like any others) may lag or rush. To prevent such incidents, you need to synchronize the time using the Windows Time service.

According to the schedule, the OS checks the clock with the server specified in the settings. If the values are not equal, the system adjusts the indicators. Initially, the configuration already has several addresses.

How to sync time on your computer

To perform one-time synchronization, you need to do the following: Click the left button on the Windows clock.

The "Change the date and time settings" button opens the settings window. Then you need to go to the tab "Time on the Internet." It will display the server address, which is specified in the settings, and the last date of synchronization.

Clicking on "Change settings", you can update the time.

Automation function

To synchronize the computer's time with the Internet automatically, it's enough to tick a single box in the last window. If you can not connect to the north or if there is an error when updating the time, you can select one of the additional servers, the benefit of the OS provides a choice of as many as 5, or find an address on the Internet and write it into the line "server".

Be careful, the last selected server will remain in the default settings, with it the operating system and will automatically synchronize the time on the computer with the Internet.

Command-line tools

It is not always convenient to use graphical tools for setting up the system. For example, if the window is overloaded with text: the eyes try to find the right button, but everything merges into one monotonous image. And the input of a pair of commands is faster than moving the mouse cursor frequently from one corner of the window to the other.

To synchronize the time on your computer with the Internet using the command line, open the Start menu and choose "Run" or just press Win + R on the keyboard. In the line of the window that will start, type cmd, and then press Enter. So you will enter the command line, the following command will update the time on the local computer with the server installed by default:

• W32tm / resync.

To configure the server that the system will use to synchronize the time on the local computer with the Internet, run the following commands:

• W32tm / config / manualpeerlist: [server for synchronization] / syncfromflags: manual / reliable: yes (this command sets the server whose time will be used for updates);
• W32tm / config / update (message to the time service that the settings have changed);
• Net stop w32time && net start w32time (restart the service).

Is the command line too complex?

Windows is an OS whose functionality can be extended with additional applications. If you experience difficulties when configuring the update of time, then you can use the simplest option - download the program, which will take many steps itself and will require minimal intervention. Moreover, such programs allow you to synchronize time with greater accuracy than the standard means of the system. Often they can take into account the delays in receiving and sending packets and receive server addresses from lists on the Internet.

Undocumented settings

By default, the period after which Windows will synchronize the time on the computer with the Internet is equal to a week. Sometimes this interval needs to be reduced, but the built-in tools do not allow you to perform the required configuration. The registry will help.

To start the registry in the "Run" window, type regedit and press Enter. Go to the HKEYLM branch, it needs to expand the SYSTEM \ CurrentControlSet \ Services \ W32Time \ TimeProviders \ NtpClient directory. Find the parameter SpecialPollInterval. It will already have a value of 604800. It is for such a number of seconds that one week passes. If you change this number to 3600, the synchronization time will be one hour.

It is not recommended to enter values in this column for less than an hour or more. Small values will significantly increase Internet traffic. In addition, if you try to synchronize the time every few seconds, the server will block your IP. At large values, it will not be possible to achieve the maximum accuracy of the system clock. After making changes, enter the characters net stop w32time && net start w32time in the command line.

The local network

If you have several computers connected to the local network at home or in the office, you can use one as an exact time server. Synchronization with the time of the PC entering the local network is the same as with the servers on the Internet. But first you have to start the NTP server on the computer, the time of which will be used by the other network members.

To do this, open the registry and edit the HKLM \ System \ CurrentControlSet \ services \ W32Time \ TimeProviders \ NtpServer section. In it, the Enabled key should be set to 1, then restart the Windows time service from the command line by typing net stop w32time, and after execution - net start w32time.

Remember that now the PC is operated by other users of the network as a guide, do not forget to check its performance from time to time. Whether the server is enabled can be checked with the command w32tm / query / configuration. An Enabled value of 1 indicates that the server is OK.

Do not forget to synchronize the time on your computer with the Internet, because now, if the clock runs forward or is too far behind on it, it will affect all users.