The system tray clock, situated on the right side of the Windows taskbar, is kind of boring. Wouldn’t it be great if you could select a variety of different skins for the system tray clock and jazz it up a bit? Alas, Windows doesn't let you do that by default, and will instead force you to make do with the bland, basic clock.
However, you can customize the Windows system tray clock with Free Desktop Clock and ElevenClock. Free Desktop Clock is a program that includes nine alternative skins for the system tray clock. The ElevenClock app adds a more customizable clock to the Windows system tray area.
How to Install Free Desktop Clock
To download Free Desktop Clock, open the Free Desktop Clock page in your favorite browser. Then, click the blue Download button to save the program’s setup wizard.
Once you have the file downloaded, double-click the freeclock.exe file to open the setup wizard and install the software.
How to Select a New System Tray Clock Skin
Once everything's set up, open the Free Desktop Clock window. Click Skins on the left side of the window. Select Enable tray clock if that option isn’t already checked. Then select one of the skins on that tab and click OK to add it to the system tray clock as in the screenshot directly below.
You can add more details to the system tray clock with the extra settings. Click Show date and Show day of the week to include date and day details alongside the clock. Selecting Show percent of memory in use displays RAM utilization percentage on your PC.
To change the background color of the clock, click the Default background drop-down menu. Select the Color background option. Then click on the palette box to choose a different color from there. You can also apply some transparency to the clock by adjusting the value for the Transparent setting.
How to Add Different Time Zone Clocks
Free Desktop Clock includes options that show clocks for different time zones. Such clocks can be handy if you ever need to check the time in another country before making an international phone call. Click the Time Zones tab to view those options.
To enable a time zone clock, select the Show this clock checkbox. Choose a zone in the Timezone drop-down menu. You can also input a clock title in the Enter display name box.
How to Create an Hourly Time Announcement
Free Desktop Clock also has an hourly time announcement setting. This option, once enabled, will chime on the hour every hour. It's a good way to keep track of the hours passing without needing to look at the clock.
The Customizations tab includes that setting. Click the Hourly time announcement checkbox on that tab to select the option. Then press the button beside the Sound box to choose an audio file for the announcement.
Additional Features in Atomic Alarm Clock
You’ll probably notice the alarm tabs on the Free Desktop Clock window. Those are additional features that are only available within the more advanced Atomic Alarm Clock software, which is currently retailing at $14.95. That software enables you to set alarms for specific times and includes more system tray clock skins to choose from. You can also select to sync the clock with an internet time server in the paid version.
How to Customize Windows 11's System Tray Clock With ElevenClock
If you want to customize the system tray clock without adding a new skin, check out the ElevenClock app. ElevenClock is an app that gives you a more customizable Windows 11/10 clock, which overlaps the existing system tray clock. That app includes customization settings for the clock’s appearance, tooltip, position, size, date & time format, and features.
To add this app to Windows 11/10, open this ElevenClock page on the Microsoft Store; click Get in Store app and select Open in Microsoft Store to open the app from which you can install the software. Select the Install option for ElevenClock within the small Microsoft Store window that opens.
Then you’ll see a Welcome to ElevenClock window pop up. Click OK on that window to set the selected System language option for ElevenClock. Select Skip to go straight into the app without looking at the wizard. Press the Open button to bring up the ElevenClock window. Now you can get stuck into customizing the system tray clock.
Click Clock position and size to view options for resizing and moving the clock. Drag the sliders on the Change the height and Change the width bars to make the clock bigger or smaller. You can move the clock to the left or top of the screen by selecting Show the clock on left of the screen or Force the clock to be at the top of the screen.
To customize the clock’s font, click the Clock Appearance category. Click the Use a custom font checkbox and press the Select custom font button. Then you can select font, style (italic and bold), and size options on the second window that opens and click OK to set the settings.
You can change the font’s color by selecting the Use a custom font checkbox. Then click the Select a custom button to bring up a Pick a color window. Select a basic color on the palette and click OK to apply it. You can also modify the clock’s background color much the same by selecting the Use a custom background color option.
Clicking the Date & Time Settings category extends options for changing the format of the clock. There you can select options for showing seconds, dates, week numbers, and weekdays on the clock. If you select to show everything there, you’ll probably need to expand the clock’s height and width to fit it all. Alternatively, reduce the clock’s font size.
The tooltip is the text you see when you hover your cursor over the clock. To customize that, click on the Tooltip appearance category. Then you can select the same custom font, size, and color settings for the tooltip’s text that are available for clock appearance. Select the Disable tooltip’s blurry background setting to remove the tooltip’s background box.
The customizable system tray clock is set to show the calendar/notifications by default when you click on it. However, you can change the click action for that clock. To do so, click Clock features in the ElevenClock settings window. Then click the drop-down menu for the selected Change the action checkbox to choose a different action for the clock. You can select options for opening Task Manager, Start menu, search menu, Run, etc.
ElevenClock has a wizard that guides you through customizing the system tray clock. To view ElevenClock’s welcome wizard, expand the General Settings category by clicking on it and pressing the Open button there; click the Start button on the welcoming window that opens. Then select a setting for each wizard step and click the > arrow button.
Revamp Your System Tray Clock With Free Desktop Clock or ElevenClock
As you've now seen, you don’t have to stick with that dreary old system tray clock in Windows 11/10/8/7/XP. Instead, you can quickly and easily select a different skin for it with Free Desktop Clock (or Atomic Alarm Clock). Once you get to grips with the software, you can add much more visually appealing clocks to the Windows system tray and customize them further with additional settings.
ElevenClock is also a great new app for customizing Windows 11’s system tray clock. You can utilize that app to make more minor font, color, feature, and format changes to the system tray clock without overhauling it with a new skin. Choose the software you prefer for customizing the system tray clock.