How to modify system date and time formats on Ubuntu

Configuring the date and time formats on an Ubuntu system is necessary for aligning with specific regional settings or organizational standards. This customization ensures that your system displays information according to the needs of the environment, whether it's for personal use or within a broader network. Accurate date and time settings are crucial for system logging, scheduling tasks, and maintaining consistency across different systems.

Ubuntu provides methods for changing date and time formats through both the graphical user interface (GUI) and command-line tools. The GUI allows desktop users to easily adjust these settings in a few clicks. For those who prefer or require command-line access, Ubuntu offers powerful tools that can be used to configure these settings with precision.

Administrators can quickly check, update, and verify locale settings using the command line. This ensures that the system reflects the correct regional settings. Using the appropriate tools, you can set the date, time, and timezone, making sure the system is configured to match your specific requirements.

1. Open the system settings or preferences.
2. Go to the Region & Language section.
3. Select your desired regional format from the Formats dropdown menu.
4. Confirm that the system date and time reflect your chosen format.

1. Open the terminal.
2. List available locales in your system.

   $ locale -a

3. Generate the required locale if it is not already available.

   $ sudo locale-gen en_US.UTF-8

   Replace “en_US.UTF-8” with your desired locale.

4. Set the system locale to match your desired format.

   $ sudo update-locale LANG=en_US.UTF-8

5. Verify that the changes have taken effect by displaying the date.

   $ date

6. Set the correct timezone for your system.

   $ sudo timedatectl set-timezone America/New_York

   Replace “America/New_York” with your desired timezone.