Tired of the same old digital but plain clock staring back at you from the Mac menu bar? Wondering if you can make it blink in retro style or switch to an analog clock? Find out here how to change the appearance and details of the macOS menu bar clock on a Mac ⤓.
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How to Change Clock Appearance and Detail for the Mac Menu Bar
Time needed: 4 minutes
To change how the clock appears in the menu bar on a Mac (and how much detail is included):
- Open the System Settings app.
- Go to the Menu Bar category.
- Click Clock Options… (under Menu Bar Controls).
- Choose between a digital and an analog clock under Style in the Time section.
Analog: The analog clock shows a clock stripped to its essentials, a circle and hour as well as minute hands.
Digital: The digital clock displays hour and minute (plus optionally the seconds) separated by, typically, a colon.
- Optional: Add seconds to the digital clock.
Here’s how: Turn on Display the time with seconds.
- Optional: Include the date in the menu bar.
Here’s how: Turn on Show date; to display the weekday (typically abbreviated), enable Show the day of the week.
- Optional: Add flashing to the symbol separating hour, minute and second in the digital clock.
Here’s how: Turn on Flash the time separators.
- Click Done.
- Switch between 12-hour and 24-hour time display.
Here’s how: Go to General | Date & Time in System Settings and turn on 24-hour time; otherwise, time will be displayed using a 12-hour format using AM and PM.
- Choose how the date and weekday are shown.
Here’s how: Go to General | Language & Region in System Settings and choose the combination of Region and Preferred Langauge that yields the date and weekday name display you fancy.
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How to Change Clock Appearance and Detail for the Mac Menu Bar: FAQ
Can I entirely remove the clock from the Mac menu bar?
No.
The macOS menu bar always includes a clock in the top right corner. You can choose the analog clock to minimize it and hide the menu bar, of course, to remove the clock from your view at most times.
Does adding seconds to the menu bar clock slow down my Mac?
No.
Showing seconds in the Mac menu bar will not noticeably slow down the computer.
What is the frequency of Mac menu bar clock time separator flashing?
The separators between hour, minute and second flashes at a frequency of 1 Hz, once per second or 60 times per minute.
Does the “Date format” setting have any influence on the date display in the Mac menu bar?
No.
The way date and weekday are displayed depends on the region and language, but not on the date format chosen explicitly on the Langauge & Region settings page.
Speaking of dates and date lines: How to Change the Time Zone on a Mac
Can I combine the analog menu bar clock with date or weekday?
No.
Displaying the date and the day of the week in the menu bar only works in combination with the digital clock.
Can I change where the clock is displayed in the menu bar?
No.
The clock is always the rightmost item. You can re-arrange most other Mac menu bar items, of course, including weather information.
(Tested with macOS 26; first published August 2026)