{"id":806,"date":"2012-09-17T04:02:56","date_gmt":"2012-09-17T10:02:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.supportpro.com\/?p=806"},"modified":"2026-01-08T22:58:52","modified_gmt":"2026-01-09T04:58:52","slug":"change-timezone-linux-timedatectl","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.supportpro.com\/blog\/change-timezone-linux-timedatectl\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Change Time Zone in Linux"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Timezone<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n

Setting the correct time zone on a Linux server is important for logs, cron jobs, monitoring tools, and applications. A wrong time zone can create confusion while debugging or tracking events. This guide explains both the modern and legacy ways<\/strong> to change the time zone in Linux.<\/p>\n

Step 1: Check the Current Time Zone<\/h3>\n

Login to the server as root or a user with sudo access and run:<\/p>\n

date<\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Example output:\u00a0 \u00a0Wed Sep 12 15:13:14 IST 2012<\/span><\/p>\n

Here, IST<\/strong> is the current time zone.<\/p>\n

Recommended Method (Modern Linux Systems)<\/h2>\n

This method works on RHEL 7+, CentOS 7+, Rocky Linux, AlmaLinux, Ubuntu 16.04+, Debian<\/strong>, and most systemd-based systems.<\/p>\n

Step 2: List Available Time Zones<\/h3>\n
\n
timedatectl list-timezones<\/strong><\/em><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

You can scroll and find the required region.
For United States, the time zone is:<\/p>\n

\n
America\/Chicago<\/strong><\/em><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Step 3: Set the Time Zone<\/h3>\n
\n
\n
\n
timedatectl set-timezone America\/Chicago<\/strong><\/em><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

This command automatically:<\/p>\n