Date/Time (Clock) Missing in Taskbar in Windows 10. How to Add it Back?

The Date/Time or the tray clock is shown by default in the Notification area. If it’s missing suddenly, here is how to add it back:

Right-click notifications area in the Taskbar and click “Customize notifications icons”

Click Turn system icons on or off

Enable the Clock toggle button

Taskbar fonts turned black and the clock is invisible?

It is possible that the high contrast setting or an incompatible custom/third-party theme has enabled black colored font for the taskbar. As a result, it makes it difficult to see the date/time section in a black taskbar.

taskbar clock black text

It may appear as though the clock is missing.



To restore the default color setting (white font):

  • Turn off high contrast setting under Settings, Personalize, Ease of access.
  • And then, open Settings, Personalization, Themes. Select the Windows theme.

Additional Tip: Some users have suggested that disabling “Use small taskbar buttons” option in Taskbar settings makes the white font to appear.

In the newer versions of Windows 10 (e.g. 2004), there is a color mode setting (dark or light) that can fix the issue.

  • Open Settings, Personalization, Colors.
  • Select the light or dark option under “Choose your color”.
    show accent color on taskbar start menu disabled or greyed out

Hope one of the above methods helped you enable the visibility of the taskbar clock in Windows 10.


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Ramesh Srinivasan is passionate about Microsoft technologies and he has been a consecutive ten-time recipient of the Microsoft Most Valuable Professional award in the Windows Shell/Desktop Experience category, from 2003 to 2012. He loves to troubleshoot and write about Windows. Ramesh founded Winhelponline.com in 2005.

20 thoughts on “Date/Time (Clock) Missing in Taskbar in Windows 10. How to Add it Back?”

  1. Same here Louis, there is a black space where the clock should be but it is as if the clock text is black as well and you cannot see it. WTF microsoft, install an update on my machine and f other things up. Urgh…

    Reply
  2. same for me. clock space is there with black background and black clock so it can not be read. hover the mouse over it and a pop-up displays the date with no time. now what?

    Reply
  3. I haven’t found how to change the clock color, but if you go into Settings > Personalization > Colors, below the color blocks there is an option to “Show Color on Start, taskbar, and action center”. Turn this on and you can kind of see the clock – the lighter your color, the better the black font reads.

    Reply
  4. To fix the blacked out(shadowed) time on the task bar. All you need to do is replace your background picture. Somehow it has been corrupted. Just pick out any other picture for your background. You do not need to change anything else.
    Step 1.) bottom right corner of task bar, click the notifications.
    2.) click- all settings.
    3.) click- personalization.
    4.) click backgrounds.
    5.) last, pick different picture as background.

    Reply
  5. – Lost clock in Windows 10 taskbar:

    – Here is what worked for me:

    – In Ask me anything, enter taskbar
    Select Taskbar settings
    Under Taskbar, Use small taskbar buttons was On
    Turned Off Use small taskbar buttons.
    Clock is now displayed in the Taskbar.

    Denis Geoffrion

    Reply
  6. Hello all,
    In the taskbar settings I just clicked “Use small taskbar buttons” and voila
    all came back.

    Ravi Kumar Geddam

    Reply
  7. I am having the same problem. Based on what you all have said, I opened Settings and turned off the “use small icons button” and the clock re-appeared on the task bar. thanks much for your help.

    Reply
  8. If you tried the other methods and they didn’t work then try this out. I was pulling my hair out over this darn clock.

    Step1: Ctrl+Alt+Del
    Step2: Open Task Manager
    Step3: Look for the Windows Explorer Tab. You may have to toggle More details at the bottom of the task manager. Press Restart and your clock should return.

    Reply
  9. Hello all,
    I am having the same problem.
    Step1: Right-click Taskbar area and click “Taskbar settings”
    Step2: Click “Turn system icons on or off”
    Step3: Turn the clock on or off

    Reply
  10. I’m currently having this issue. I tried the fixes you all suggested, but right now the only one that did anything was to change the color of my taskbar to lighter so I can see the clock in its black font.

    Reply
  11. Hello, just found a really easy fix! NOT technical at all 😉👍
    1- Go to settings then select taskbar.
    2- Now, go to the “taskbar location on screen” and select “right”, (you could probably select left or top instead but I haven’t tried due to rushing nowhere to share my discovery!!! )
    3- Now change it back to “bottom”, that should be it, nowt complicated, lol.
    Hope I’ve helped you out ‘cus it was doing my head in. 🤔 lol.

    Reply
  12. Same kinda issue, but clock is still there, black font, black background… should have been white font, now it’s invisible

    Reply
  13. If you have “use small icons” clicked for your taskbar, the taskbar doesn’t have room to show your clock and the date. Turn that off and they will both show up.

    Reply

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