How Do I Change Time on My iPad? The Fix When Your Clock Goes Rogue

Ever stared at your iPad and realized the clock is just… wrong? It’s unsettling. You’re trying to catch a flight or join a Zoom call, and your tablet thinks you're three states away or living in the year 2014. It happens more than you'd think. iPads are tiny supercomputers, but even they get confused by time zones, software glitches, or a battery that died and stayed dead for too long.

Fixing it is easy. Mostly.

Most people assume it’s a one-button fix. Usually, it is. But sometimes the toggle is greyed out, or you’re trapped in a "Screen Time" restriction that treats you like a mischievous middle schooler. If you've ever asked yourself, how do i change time on my ipad, you probably just want the time to be right so you can get on with your life. Let’s get into the weeds of how Apple handles temporal data and how to overrule it when the "Set Automatically" feature decides to take a nap.

The Basic Route: Settings and General

First things first. You need to head into the Settings app. It’s that grey icon with the gears that you probably ignore until something breaks. Once you're in, tap on General.

You’ll see a list of options. Look for Date & Time.

When you tap that, you’ll usually see a toggle called Set Automatically. If this is on, your iPad is pinging Apple’s NTP (Network Time Protocol) servers to get the exact time based on your current location. If the time is wrong while this is on, your iPad likely doesn't know where it is. Maybe your Wi-Fi is acting funky, or Location Services is disabled.

Turn off that toggle.

Once Set Automatically is off, a blue date and time will appear below the time zone. Tap that. Now you can scroll through the days and hours like you’re setting an old-school alarm clock. It’s satisfying in a tactile way.

Why is My iPad Time Greyed Out?

This is the part where people get frustrated. You go to the settings, you see the toggle, and it's grey. You can't touch it. It’s locked.

Why?

Usually, it’s Screen Time. Apple introduced Screen Time to help people manage their digital habits, but it’s also a way for parents to prevent kids from bypassing app limits by simply changing the clock. If you have a passcode on your Screen Time settings, or if your iPad is managed by an employer or school (MDM profiles), that "Set Automatically" button is going to be stuck.

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To fix this, go back to the main Settings menu. Tap Screen Time. Scroll down to Content & Privacy Restrictions. If it’s on, you might need to toggle it off or specifically look for Location Services and ensure "Allow Changes" is selected.

Honestly, it's a bit of a maze. If you’re on a corporate iPad, you might actually be stuck. Some IT departments lock the clock to ensure security certificates—which rely heavily on accurate time stamps—don't expire or fail. If the time is wrong on a work device, you might actually need to call the help desk.

The GPS and Location Services Factor

Your iPad is smart, but it's also a bit of a literalist. It uses your IP address and GPS data to figure out which time zone you’re in. If you’re using a VPN, your iPad might think you’re in London while you’re actually sitting in a Starbucks in Topeka.

If you want how do i change time on my ipad to stay fixed permanently, you need to check your Location Services.

Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services. Make sure it’s on. Then, scroll all the way to the bottom. Tap System Services. There’s a specific toggle here called Setting Time Zone.

If that’s off, the "Set Automatically" feature is essentially flying blind. It knows what time it is globally, but it doesn't know which offset to apply to your local screen. Turn that on, restart your iPad, and usually, the clock will snap back to reality within seconds.

Dealing with the 24-Hour Clock

Some people hate the AM/PM struggle. Others find military time confusing.

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In that same Date & Time menu, there’s a simple toggle for 24-Hour Time. It’s right at the top. If you’re a pilot, a nurse, or just someone who likes the efficiency of 13:00 instead of 1:00 PM, flip it on.

Interestingly, some regions defaults to 24-hour time based on your "Language & Region" settings. If you’ve set your iPad to "English (UK)" or "English (Canada)," you might notice slight variations in how the date is formatted (Day/Month/Year versus Month/Day/Year). You can change this in Settings > General > Language & Region.

What if the Time Keeps Changing Back?

This is a rare but annoying bug. You set the time manually, you close the app, and ten minutes later, it’s wrong again.

This usually points to a syncing issue with iCloud or a failing internal battery component, though the latter is rare on newer iPads. More likely, it's a software conflict.

1. Check for a Software Update: Go to Settings > General > Software Update. Apple frequently patches bugs related to system services.
2. Reset Network Settings: If your iPad is getting bad data from your Wi-Fi, resetting the network can help. Warning: this will make the iPad forget your Wi-Fi passwords. Go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPad > Reset > Reset Network Settings.
3. The Forced Restart: Not just turning it off and on. For iPads with FaceID, press and quickly release Volume Up, then Volume Down, then hold the Power button until the Apple logo appears. It clears the temporary cache that might be holding onto old time data.

The Impact of Wrong Time on Your Apps

It's not just about knowing when dinner is.

If your iPad time is off by more than a few minutes, most of the internet will stop working. Safari will give you "Your connection is not private" errors. This is because SSL certificates have a "valid from" and "valid to" date. If your iPad thinks it's 2019, it will look at a certificate issued in 2025 and think it's from the future, thus untrustworthy.

Even the App Store will refuse to load. It feels like a hardware failure, but it’s just a clock issue.

Actionable Steps to Keep Your iPad Clock Accurate

To ensure you never have to deal with this again, follow these quick steps:

• Enable System Location: Always keep Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services > System Services > Setting Time Zone toggled to ON.
• Avoid Manual Overrides: Unless you are traveling and your iPad is struggling to update, keep Set Automatically enabled. It prevents "Time Drift," where the internal clock loses a few seconds every month.
• Update iPadOS: Stay within at least one major version of the current iPadOS to ensure the time zone database (which handles things like Daylight Savings changes) is up to date.
• Check Screen Time: If you can't change the time, disable Screen Time restrictions temporarily to regain control.

If you’ve tried all the above and the clock still drifts or stays greyed out, it’s time to check for a "Management Profile" in Settings > General > VPN & Device Management. If there's a profile there from a school or employer, they are the ones holding the keys to your iPad’s clock. You'll have to ask them to fix it on their end via their MDM (Mobile Device Management) server.

Otherwise, a quick toggle in the General settings usually does the trick. Simple. Fast. Done.

Next Steps

Verify your Location Services settings right now. Even if your time is correct, ensuring the Setting Time Zone toggle is active under System Services will prevent your iPad from getting confused the next time you cross a state line or a border. If the "Set Automatically" option is currently greyed out, navigate to Screen Time and check your Content & Privacy Restrictions to unlock it. Finally, if you haven't restarted your device in a while, a quick reboot will force the iPad to re-sync its internal clock with Apple's servers, clearing out any minor lag in the system.