How to Allow or Prevent Users and Groups to Change Time Zone in Windows 10


Your PC's clock is used to record the time whenever you create or modify files on your PC. You can change the clock's time and time zone.

A time zone is a region that observes a uniform standard time for legal, commercial, and social purposes. Time zones tend to follow the boundaries of countries and their subdivisions because it is convenient for areas in close commercial or other communication to keep the same time.

By default, accounts in the Administrators and, Users groups are able to change the time zone in Windows 10.

See also: Change the time zone - security policy setting (Windows 10) | Microsoft Docs

This tutorial will show you how to allow or prevent specific users and groups from being able to change the time zone in Windows 10.

You must be signed in as an administrator to allow or prevent users and groups to change the time zone.


 CONTENTS:

  • Option One: Allow Users and Groups to Change Time Zone in Local Security Policy
  • Option Two: Prevent Users and Groups to Change Time Zone in Local Security Policy
  • Option Three: Allow or Prevent Users and Groups to Change Time Zone in Command Prompt





OPTION ONE

Allow Users and Groups to Change Time Zone in Local Security Policy


Local Security Policy is only available in the Windows 10 Pro, Enterprise, and Education editions.

All editions can use Option Three below.

1. Press the Win+R keys to open Run, type secpol.msc into Run, and click/tap on OK to open Local Security Policy.

2. Expand open Local Policies in the left pane of Local Security Policy, click/tap on User Rights Assignment, and double click/tap on the Change the time zone policy in the right pane. (see screenshot below)

Allow or Prevent Users and Groups to Change Time Zone in Windows 10-change_time_zone_user_rights_assignment-1.jpg

3. Click/tap on the Add User or Group button. (see screenshot below)

Allow or Prevent Users and Groups to Change Time Zone in Windows 10-change_time_zone_user_rights_assignment-4.png

4. Click/tap on the Advanced button. (see screenshot below)

Allow or Prevent Users and Groups to Change Time Zone in Windows 10-change_time_zone_user_rights_assignment-5.png

5. Click/tap on the Object Types button. (see screenshot below)

Allow or Prevent Users and Groups to Change Time Zone in Windows 10-change_time_zone_user_rights_assignment-6.png

6. Check all the boxes for Object types, and click/tap on the OK. (see screenshot below)

Allow or Prevent Users and Groups to Change Time Zone in Windows 10-change_time_zone_user_rights_assignment-7.png

7. Click/tap on the Find Now button, select the name of the user or group (ex: "Users") you want to add, and click/tap on OK. (see screenshots below)

If you like, you can press and hold the Ctrl key to select more than one user and/or group.

Allow or Prevent Users and Groups to Change Time Zone in Windows 10-change_time_zone_user_rights_assignment-8.jpg Allow or Prevent Users and Groups to Change Time Zone in Windows 10-change_time_zone_user_rights_assignment-9.jpg

8. Click/tap on OK. (see screenshot below)

Allow or Prevent Users and Groups to Change Time Zone in Windows 10-change_time_zone_user_rights_assignment-10.png

9. Click/tap on OK. (see screenshot below)

Allow or Prevent Users and Groups to Change Time Zone in Windows 10-change_time_zone_user_rights_assignment-11.png

10. When finished, you can close Local Users and Groups if you like.






OPTION TWO

Prevent Users and Groups to Change Time Zone in Local Security Policy


Local Security Policy is only available in the Windows 10 Pro, Enterprise, and Education editions.

All editions can use Option Three below.

1. Press the Win+R keys to open Run, type secpol.msc into Run, and click/tap on OK to open Local Security Policy.

2. Expand open Local Policies in the left pane of Local Security Policy, click/tap on User Rights Assignment, and double click/tap on the Change the time zone policy in the right pane. (see screenshot below)

Allow or Prevent Users and Groups to Change Time Zone in Windows 10-change_time_zone_user_rights_assignment-1.jpg

3. Select the user or group (ex: "Users") you want to remove, and click/tap on the Remove button. (see screenshot below)

If you like, you can press and hold the Ctrl key to select more than one user and/or group.

Do not remove LOCAL SERVICE since this is used by Windows.

Allow or Prevent Users and Groups to Change Time Zone in Windows 10-change_time_zone_user_rights_assignment-2.png

4. Click/tap on OK. (see screenshot below)

Allow or Prevent Users and Groups to Change Time Zone in Windows 10-change_time_zone_user_rights_assignment-3.png

5. When finished, you can close Local Users and Groups if you like.






OPTION THREE

Allow or Prevent Users and Groups to Change Time Zone in Command Prompt


1. If you haven't already, you will need to do the following below before continuing on to step 2 below.

A) Download the ntrights.exe file below from the Windows Server 2003 Resource Kit Tools.
B) Save the ntrights.zip file to your desktop, and unblock it.

C) Open the ntrights.zip file, copy or move the ntrights.exe file into your C:\Windows\System32 folder, and click/tap on Continue to approve.

2. Open an elevated command prompt.

3. Type the command you want below into the elevated command prompt, and press Enter.

(Add user or group to allow)
ntrights +r SeTimeZonePrivilege -u "User or Group"

OR

(Remove user or group to prevent)
ntrights -r SeTimeZonePrivilege -u "User or Group"

Substitute User or Group in the command above with the actual name of the user or group (ex: "Users") you want to add or remove for this policy.

Do not remove LOCAL SERVICE since this is used by Windows.

For example: ntrights +r SeTimeZonePrivilege -u "Users"

4. When finished, you can close the elevated command prompt if you like.


That's it,
Shawn


Related Tutorials



  • Windows 11 Tutorials