Remember back when you started your new OS X Mac for the first time. You may recall that you answered a series of questions during setup, one series being about time, time zones and dates. Your computer was then automatically configured base upon the answers given. There are however, quite a few more date and time options available to us…..

To begin exploring these customizable options, start by going to the Apple Menu and selecting System Preferences:

Click on the Date & Time icon:

Take a moment and look at the available tabs: Date & Time, Time Zone and Clock. Think of these tabs as categories. We will cover these categories one at a time:

The Date & Time tab contains options for setting our computer’s date and time automatically or manually. The top part (above the red line) contains a simple check box which, when checked, tells our computer to set itself automatically to an online time server. If your computer is online all the time, this is the most desirable option.

The bottom part of the Date & Time tab (below the red line) contains options for setting our computer’s date and time manually. Use the manual options to set your date and time if your computer does not stay connected to the internet.

The Time Zone tab allows you to set your computers time zone. Simply click where you are on the map or select your location from the pop down menu. (If you have your Date & Time tab set to automatically set your date and time, the time zone will be set for you):

Click the map:

Select your location from the pop down menu:

The last Tab is the Clock tab. Use these options to customize the format of your clock in the Menu Bar. These should be self explanatory and I encourage you to experiment with them. As you click on the different options, you can see the changes take effect to your Menu Bar clock immediately:

Bottom Line: Pretty simple. Experiment and have fun!