How to change the time on your Chromebook as you move across time zones

Chromebooks are very convenient devices to take with you when traveling. Most are compact and lightweight enough to fit in your personal or carry-on bag and straightforward enough to use that you can trust will facilitate what you need to get done with them.

I recently took a trip that took me across time zones in the U.S. Once I arrived at my destination, I noticed that the time on my phone had changed to match the local time zone. However, the time on my Chromebook was still stuck at Eastern time, which is the time zone of my home state. So, I checked my Chromebook settings and noticed that it used Eastern time as a static time zone. This is, of course, not optimal when traveling, as it prevents the device from adopting the correct time zone for where you are located at the time. Therefore, to have your Chromebook automatically change the system time as you move across time zones, do the following:

Access your Chromebook’s settings and scroll down to the Advanced section on the left. Click on Advanced and then click on “Date and time,” which should now appear right underneath. Next, click on “Time zone,” which will then take you to two options: “Set automatically” and “Choose from list.”

To make sure the time changes automatically without you having to manually do anything, select the “Set automatically” option. This option has a dropdown with two settings: “Use your IP address to determine location,” which is the default, and “Use Wi-Fi or mobile networks to determine location.” Usually, you can trust that using the IP address method will pinpoint your location accurately, but for higher accuracy or if you use a VPN, the best method is to have your Wi-Fi or data network find your location.

I just want the steps!

​
1. Open your Chromebook’s settings
2. Scroll down to Advanced > Date and time
3. Under “Time Zone,” select “Set automatically”
4. From the dropdown, select “Use your IP address to determine location” or “Use Wi-Fi or mobile networks to determine location” if you are using a VPN or want higher accuracy.

Following the above steps will ensure that your Chromebook’s time will stay updated with the local time. Once you return home, the system’s time should also change accordingly, and this setting will stay on unless you change it again.

Featured Photo by Luis Cortes on Unsplash