How to customize the clock in the Windows system tray

The system tray clock, located on the right side of the Windows taskbar, is a bit boring. Wouldn't it be great if you could choose various skins for the system tray clock and customize it a bit? Unfortunately, Windows doesn't let you do that by default, and will instead force you to stick with the bland basic clock.

But don't despair, you can change the look of the system tray clock with an application called Free Desktop Clock. It's a freeware program that includes 9 alternative skins for the system tray clock. And with this app you can change the look of the system clock on Windows 10, 8, 7 and XP.

How to install Free Desktop Clock

To download Free Desktop Clock, visit the link here in your favorite browser:

Then, click the blue Download button to save the program's setup wizard.

After downloading the file, double-click the freeclock.exe file to open the setup wizard and install the software.

How to choose the new system tray clock interface

Once everything is set up, open the Free Desktop Clock window. Click Skins on the left side of the window. Select Enable tray clock if that option is not already selected. Then select one of the skins on that tab and click OK to add it to the system tray clock as shown in the screenshot below.

How to customize the clock in the Windows system tray Picture 1

You can add more details to the system tray clock with additional settings. Click Show date and Show day of the week to include the date details along with the clock. Selecting Show percent of memory in use will display the percentage of RAM usage on the 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 a degree of transparency to the clock by adjusting the value for the Transparent setting.

How to customize the clock in the Windows system tray Picture 2

How to add different time zone clocks

Free Desktop Clock includes clock display options for various time zones. Such watches can be useful if you need to check the time in another country before making an international phone call. Click the Time Zones tab to see those options.

How to customize the clock in the Windows system tray Picture 3

To enable the time zone clock, select the Show this clock check box. Select an area in the Timezone drop-down menu. You can also enter a watch title in the Enter display name box.

How to create hourly time notifications

Free Desktop Clock also has an hourly time notification setting. This option, once enabled, will chime every hour. It's a great way to keep track of the passage of time without looking at the clock.

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The Customizations tab covers that setting. Click the Hourly time announcement check box on that tab to select the option. Then press the button next to the Sound box to select an audio file for the notification.

Additional features in Atomic Alarm Clock

You will probably notice alarm tabs on the Free Desktop Clock window. Those are extras found only in the more advanced Atomic Alarm Clock software, which is currently on sale for $14.95. That software lets you set alarms for specific times, and includes more system tray clock skins to choose from. You can also choose to sync the clock with the internet time server in the paid version.

As you have seen, there is no need to stick with the old fashioned system tray clock in Windows 10/8/7/XP. Instead, you can quickly and easily choose a different look for it with the Free Desktop Clock (or Atomic Alarm Clock). Once you get the hang of the software, you can add a much more visually appealing clock to the Windows system tray and customize them further with additional settings.

Samuel Daniel

Update 24 March 2022