Adding the Day of the Week to the Taskbar Clock

Written by Eric Wyatt (last updated March 22, 2021)

3

In another article</>, I discussed how to add the seconds to the clock in the taskbar of a Windows 10 system. Shortly after, a reader, Chuck, emailed me and asked if it was possible to show the extended date, i.e., day of the week, in the taskbar as well. Fortunately, this is possible and something that I believe many users might find helpful. To do this is very similar to the method used to display the seconds in the taskbar outlined in the previously mentioned tip. To achieve this, we need to make a change in the Registry Editor.

Since we will be making a change to the Registry, it is good to close any open programs as most Registry edits require a system restart to take effect.

  1. PressÊWin+R. Windows opens the Run window.
  2. Type "regedit" (without quotes) and pressÊEnter. Windows opens the Registry Editor.
  3. In the left-side panel, navigate to
    4. HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\International
  4. In the right-hand window, select and double click on the entry labeled "sShortDate" from the list. This opens the Edit String dialog box.
  5. In the Value Data field, add (without quotes) "ddd." at the beginning of the string already in the box. (Don't forget the period after the "ddd.") (See Figure 1.)

    6. Figure 1. sShortDate with updated value entered.

  6. Click OK to close the Edit String dialog box.
  7. Close the Registry Editor.
  8. Restart your computer to have the changes take effect.

By utilizing this simple Registry modification, the taskbar will display the day of the week as part of the date in the taskbar.

 This tip (13838) applies to Windows 10.

Author Bio

Eric Wyatt

Eric Wyatt is a swell guy (or so his friends tell him). He is a formally trained designer and branding expert, bringing a wide range of skills to his Tips.Net articles. ...

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What is four less than 4?

2021-03-24 10:35:44

Miguel

Hi there. Can you tell me, please, where I can get 'How to add the seconds to the clock in the taskbar of a Windows 10 system' WindowsTip'? I couldn't find it. Thank you very much in advance for your attention.

2021-03-23 21:26:11

Dennis

The registry change had the desired task bar effect, but caused Excel 365 to take "3/23/2021" and display it as "3.23.2021".

2021-03-22 20:12:42

Malcolm Halliwell

Great tip, Eric, thank you. But... Down Under we put the date first then the month. I was able to figure out how to do that thanks to your tip. Look forward to your email every week.

all the best

Malcolm

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