Changing the timezone on a Linux system is a common task for system administrators, especially when managing servers in different regions or for users traveling. This guide covers how to change the timezone on various Linux distributions, including systemd-based systems and older ones.

Prerequisites

  • Root or sudo access to the system.
  • Basic knowledge of the command line.

1. Check Current Timezone

Before changing the timezone, verify the current setting:

timedatectl  # For systemd systems
date          # General command

2. List Available Timezones

To see all available timezones:

timedatectl list-timezones  # For systemd systems

Or find your timezone:

timedatectl list-timezones | grep -i america  # Example for American timezones

3. Change Timezone on systemd-based Systems (Ubuntu 16.04+, CentOS 7+, Fedora, Arch)

Use timedatectl to set the timezone:

sudo timedatectl set-timezone America/New_York

Replace America/New_York with your desired timezone (e.g., Europe/London, Asia/Tokyo).

Verify the change:

timedatectl

4. Change Timezone on Older Systems (Ubuntu 14.04, CentOS 6, etc.)

For systems without systemd:

  1. Install tzdata if not present:

    sudo apt install tzdata  # Ubuntu/Debian
sudo yum install tzdata  # CentOS/RHEL

  2. Run the timezone configuration tool:

    sudo dpkg-reconfigure tzdata  # Ubuntu/Debian
sudo tzselect                    # Interactive selection

    Or manually set the timezone:

    sudo ln -sf /usr/share/zoneinfo/America/New_York /etc/localtime

  3. Update /etc/timezone if it exists:

    echo "America/New_York" | sudo tee /etc/timezone

5. Verify the Change

After changing the timezone, confirm it’s set correctly:

date

The output should show the new timezone.

6. Troubleshooting

  • Timezone not persisting after reboot: Ensure you’re using the correct method for your system. On systemd systems, timedatectl is persistent.
  • NTP synchronization: If using NTP, the time might sync automatically. Check with timedatectl or systemctl status systemd-timesyncd.
  • Container environments: In Docker containers, timezone changes might not persist. Set it at runtime with -e TZ=America/New_York.

Conclusion

Changing the timezone in Linux is straightforward once you know the right commands for your distribution. For modern systems, timedatectl is the recommended tool. Always verify the change and consider the impact on scheduled tasks or logs.

For more Linux sysadmin tips, check out our other tutorials!