Setting the time zone is automatically greyed out in Windows 11

There are many apps and websites that cannot be accessed without setting the correct time zone. Windows is well aware of this possibility and has included the ability to automatically set the time zone. However, according to some reports, automatically set time zone is greyed out on some Windows 11 and Windows 10 PCs. In this post, we will talk about solutions to this error.

Cannot set time zone automatically in Windows 11/10

Why is the timezone setting automatically greyed out?

Automatic time zone setting is a feature that only the administrator has access to. They can give permission to users to access this feature. Otherwise, this feature will not be available in the Settings app. Therefore, the IT administrator needs to automatically enable the time zone setting before deploying the device. However, this does not mean that the user cannot enable this feature. There are several ways that we’ll talk about where you can enable this feature even after devices have been deployed.

Also, if you are offline, check if your location is disabled. Most of us tend to block apps and services from accessing a location. If so, you need to enable location on your computer. Some users who were not part of any network and had location services enabled also reported this issue. We have some solutions that can help them too. So, without wasting any time, let’s move on to the troubleshooting guide.

Fix Setting the time zone is grayed out automatically in Windows 11.

If the “Set time zone automatically” option is greyed out, follow the best practices and solutions to fix the issue.

1. Enable location services in settings
2. Using the Registry Editor
3. Using Group Policy
4. Troubleshooting Clean Boot
5. Restore Windows Files

You may need administrator rights to complete some of the suggestions.

1]Enable Location Services in Settings

First of all, we must make sure that location services are not disabled on your computer. This is important because Windows needs to know where you are in order to automatically set the time zone. If the service itself is disabled and your location cannot be retrieved, there is a chance that Windows will prevent you from enabling the “Set time zone automatically” feature. So, follow the prescribed steps to enable location services on your Windows 11 computer.

1. Launch settings via Win + I.
2. Press Privacy & Security .
3. Scroll down to app permission and tap location.
4. Turn on location services and allow apps to access your location.

Now restart your computer and check if you are allowed to set the time zone automatically.

2]Use Registry Editor

If you are unable to enable the automatic time zone feature in Windows settings, try doing the same in the Registry Editor. This might not be a solution, but a workaround that you can try if your IT admin deployed the devices before enabling these features. To do this, launch the Registry Editor. You can do this by searching for the application in the start menu, or by launching Run, typing Regedit and clicking OK. Then move on to the next location.

ComputerHKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetServicestzautoupdate

Find the Start value, double-click it, and set its data value to 3 to automatically enable the time zone setting, and 4 to disable the same. You must also enable the “Location” feature, if it is greyed out too, navigate to the following location in the Registry Editor.

ComputerHKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionCapabilityAccessManagerConsentStorelocation

Double click on value, type “Allow” and click OK. Hope this helps you.

3]Using Group Policy

Open Group Policy Editor and go to the next setting:

Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Location and Sensors > Windows Location Provider > Turn off Windows Location Provider.

Set Turn off Windows Location Service Provider to Not configured.

Click apply And exit.

4]Clean Boot Troubleshooting

There may be third-party software installed on your computer that has disabled the feature in question. Since we have no idea what the application is, we need to perform a Clean Boot which will disable all non-Microsoft services and then see if the option is still greyed out. In case the option is not greyed out, then some third party application is interfering and you will have to identify and disable it.

To perform a clean boot, follow the given steps.

1. Type “MSConfig” in the search bar and click Enter.
2. go to services.
3. Check the box associated with Hide all Microsoft services and click Disable all .
4. Click apply > Ok and restart your computer.

This will start your system in a Clean Boot state, check if the time zone setting is grayed out automatically. If not, then you need to enable processes manually until you stumble upon the culprit. Once you know the culprit, remove it from your system and your issue will be resolved.

5]Restore Windows Files

Next, let’s try to repair your system files with some commands. We will be running some cmd commands that will scan and repair your system files. To do the same, first open a command prompt with administrator privileges. Then run the following commands.

SFC /scannow

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealth

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

These commands may take some time to complete their respective tasks. Once this is done, go to Settings and see if the issue is resolved.

How to automatically set the date and time in Windows 11?

When you set the time zone, your date and time are automatically set as Windows looks up your time zone and extracts the appropriate information, using it as a reference. While you can change the date and time manually, you don’t have to do the same, as the time zone that is set automatically will always be accurate. Follow these steps to enable automatic time zone selection.

1. Open settings.
2. go to Time & Language > date & time.
3. Turn on the switch for “Set time automatically” and “Set time zone automatically”.

Disable settings and see if the issue is resolved.

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