Windows 10 provides a seamless user experience with many features, but occasionally, users encounter issues that can be frustrating to resolve. One such issue is the inability to change the time zone on Windows 10, the time zone is greyed out, and you can’t configure it automatically. This problem can disrupt your daily activities, affect scheduling, and even cause confusion in timestamp-sensitive applications.
This article discusses various troubleshooting methods to fix the issue with time zone settings on Windows 10.
Also read: 3 Best Ways to Record Screen Activity on Windows 10
Restart the device
It may sound simple but restarting your computer can often resolve system glitches. Save your work and restart your computer to see if the issue persists. This basic step can refresh system processes and clear temporary glitches that might be causing the problem.
Update Windows
Ensure your Windows 10 operating system is up-to-date. Outdated system files can lead to various issues, including problems with changing the time zone.
Check out our article to learn how to update Windows 10
Change Windows Time service settings
It is possible that there is some issue with the Windows Time service, this background service works to synchronise the system clock with time servers. Here are the steps to change the settings:
Step 1: Press the Windows + R keys together to open the Run dialogue box.
Step 2: In the Run, type services.msc and hit Enter.

Step 3: Scroll down, find Windows Time and right-click on it, in the dropdown menu click on Properties.

Step 4: Change the Startup type to Automatic then click on the Apply button and then on the OK button.

Enable Location services
Location services allow Windows to detect and set the time automatically. To enable follow the steps below:
Step 1: In the Windows search, type Location and click on the first suggestion which should be Location privacy settings.

Step 2: Click on Change under Allow access to location on this device section.

Step 3: Turn the toggle on.

Restart your device and check if the issue is resolved.
Edit values in the Registry Editor
This is a technical troubleshooting method and requires a bit of knowledge about the registry editor. Here are the steps:
Step 1: Press the Windows + R keys together to open the Run dialogue box.
Step 2: In the Run, type regedit and hit Enter.

Step 3: Copy and paste HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\tzautoupdate in the navigation of the registry editor.

Step 4: Double-click on the Start value.

Step 5: In the Edit DWORD Value box, change the Value data to 3 and click on the OK button.

Step 6: Now change the location setting, Copy and paste HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\CapabilityAccessManager\ConsentStore\location in the navigation of the registry editor.

Step 7: Double-click on the Value string.

Step 8: In the Edit String box, type Allow in the Value data and then click on the OK button.

Reset Windows Time service
This issue might happen when the Windows Time service or time synchronisation settings get corrupted. If that’s the case, try restoring the service to its original settings and check if it resolves the problem. Follow these steps to do so:
Step 1: In the Windows search, type Command Prompt and click on the Run as administrator option.

- Step 2: Type the command net stop w32time in the command prompt and hit Enter. It will stop the Windows Time service.
- Step 3: Next, type the command w32tm /unregister and hit Enter. It will unregister the service.
- Step 4: Now, type the command w32tm /register and hit Enter. It will re-register the service.
- Step 5: Lastly, type the command net start w32time and hit Enter. It will restart the service.
Restart the device and check if the issue is resolved.