Debian

Linux how to set date and time from the command prompt

by staff

With systemd based Linux system you need to use the timedatectl command to set or view the current date and time.

Using timedatectl command display the current date and time
Type the following timedatectl command:

timedatectl

Sample outputs:

               Local time: Fri 2023-01-27 06:51:37 UTC
           Universal time: Fri 2023-01-27 06:51:37 UTC
                 RTC time: Fri 2023-01-27 06:51:38
                Time zone: Etc/UTC (UTC, +0000)
System clock synchronized: yes
              NTP service: active
          RTC in local TZ: no

How do I change the current date using the timedatectl command?
To change the current date, type the following command as the root user:

timedatectl set-time 'YYYY-MM-DD'

Where,

  1. YYYY: A four-digit year.
  2. MM : A two-digit month.
  3. DD: A two-digit day of the month.

For example, set the current date to 2023-01-01 (1, Jan 2023):

timedatectl set-time '2023-01-01'
timedatectl

Sample outputs:

               Local time: Sun 2023-01-01 00:00:06 UTC
           Universal time: Sun 2023-01-01 00:00:06 UTC
                 RTC time: Sun 2023-01-01 00:00:07
                Time zone: Etc/UTC (UTC, +0000)
System clock synchronized: no
              NTP service: inactive
          RTC in local TZ: no

If you see the message “Failed to set time: Automatic time synchronization is enabled”, then you need to type the following command to switch off as the root user.

timedatectl set-ntp 0

And one command to switch on again.

timedatectl set-ntp 1

To change both the date and time, use the following syntax:

timedatectl set-time YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS

Where:
1. HH : An hour.
2. MM : A minute.
3. SS : A second, all typed in two-digit form.
4. YYYY: A four-digit year.
5. MM : A two-digit month.
6. DD: A two-digit day of the month.

For example, set the date ’1st Jan 2023′ and time to ‘8:10:40 am’, enter:

timedatectl set-time '2023-01-01 08:10:40'
date

Sample outputs:

Sun Jan  1 08:10:40 UTC 2023

Conclusion

Systemd based Linux users can use timedatectl to control the system time and date.