# How to Set the Time Zone in Linux

**URL:** https://www.compsmag.com/blogs/how-to-set-the-time-zone-in-linux/
**Author:** Ayushi Chauhan
**Published:** 2022-04-22
**Updated:** 2022-04-22
**Categories:** Blogs
**Tags:** Blogs Daily, Computer Guides, guiderobert, Guides and Tutorials, guiding12, How To Guide, How To Guides, Linux Guides, Tips, Tricks
**Reading Time:** 3 min

---

This tip is about the how to Set the Time Zone in Linux. So read this free guide, How to Set the Time Zone in Linux step by step. If you have query related to same article you may contact us.

## How to Set the Time Zone in Linux - Guide

A time zone is a geographic region with the same standard time.  Typically, the time zone is set during the OS installation, but it can easily be changed later.  Using the correct time zone is essential for many system-related tasks and processes.  For example, the cron daemon uses the system timezone to run cron jobs.  The time zone is also used for timestamps.  On the Linux system, the time zone points to the local time of the region or county.  When the time zone is set in Linux, the time is automatically set according to the region or country.  It is always recommended to set the correct time zone according to the geographic location of the system.

## How to    Set the timezone in Linux

### Check the current time zone

You can view a system's current timezone by simply typing the 'date' command in the terminal.

The above command shows that this system is running in UTC timezone.  You can also refer to the timedatectl command to view the details output of current system time, time zone and many other details.

### Set or change timezone in Linux

Linux keeps relegated timezone files available in the /usr/share/zoneinfo directory.  There you can find all available time zones.  You can choose one of the methods below to change your Linux system timezone via the command line.

### Using the timedatectl command (recommended)

Using the timedatectl command is the offered way to set or change the time zone on a Linux system.  You can list all available timezones with the following command.

timedatectl list-timezones

Find the correct timezone for your system from the result above.  Then use the following command to set a new timezone for the Linux system.

sudo timedatectl set-timezone “America/Los_Angeles”

### Using /etc/localtime Symlink

You can also change the system time by changing the symlink of the /etc/localtime file on Linux systems.  You just need to look for the correct timezone files in the /usr/share/zoneinfo directory.  First rename to remove the current file:

sudo mv /etc/localtime /etc/localtime-old

Then change the symlink of the file to the correct timezone configuration file:

sudo ln -s /usr/share/zoneinfo/America/Los_Angeles /etc/localtime

The system will automatically adjust the new time based on the new time zone set in the system.  You can re-run the “timedatectl” command to confirm that the timezone is correctly updated.

## Final note

I hope you like the guide How to Set the Time Zone in Linux. In case if you have any query regards this article you may ask us. Also, please share your love by sharing this article with your friends.

---

*End of Article*