Error when trying to change the time zone in Windows: "Unable to continue. You do not have permission to perform this task."

It appears that installing Windows 8 on top of XP doesn't give you the option to choose the locale and other settings -- I've got the right keyboard layout restored, and can change the system locale to be for the UK, but the system doesn't let me now change the time zone -- choosing the option to try to do it in the control panel, gives me the following error:

Date and Time

Unable to continue

You do not have permission to perform this task. Please contact your computer administrator for help.

[OK]

Rowland Shaw

Posted 2012-03-25T07:58:56.363

Reputation: 3 607

this was happening to me even in Windows Server 2012 so if you don't mind I will tweak the question to remove all references to Windows8 – knocte – 2016-06-07T03:33:34.473

Answers

Looks like "for whatever reason" my installation didn't grant anyone, nor any group the privilege to change the time zone -- I had to:

Go to the desktop
Open the charms bar (Win+c, float mouse to bottom right or swipe from the right)
Choose Control Panel
Switch to icon view
Go to Administrative Tools folder
Run Local Security Policy
Double click on "Change time zone" permission
Add local administrators group.
Reboot...
Change timezone "in the normal fashion"

Rowland Shaw

Posted 2012-03-25T07:58:56.363

Reputation: 3 607

1in WindowsServer2012, there would be a missing step between 6 and 7, which is: Local Policies -> User Rights Assignment -> [step7] – knocte – 2016-06-07T03:26:45.257

Administrators local group is already there and I'm a member of it but I'm still having this problem so this solution doesn't work for me. – JohnC – 2018-08-22T01:37:31.400

It makes no sense to me but the following config fixed the problem on my Win10 laptop which was upgraded from Win7 or Win8 (forget which). My login account was already in local Administrators group which was already granted the same config:

Add Users group to Administrative Tools > Local Security Policy > Security Settings > Local Policies > User Rights Assignment > Change the time zone.

Refer to Date and Time – Unable to Continue on Problem Solved answer site for detailed step by step instructions.

JohnC

Posted 2012-03-25T07:58:56.363

Reputation: 651

The reason you need to add the Users group into Administrative Tools > Local Security Policy > Security Settings > Local Policies > User Rights Assignment > Change the time zone is because the time/date applet runs in non-admin context (i.e. UAC doesn't present a prompt to see if you want to run it as administrator). Even though you have a local admin account on the computer, the time/date applet isn't running in an administrative context, so belonging to the local Administrators group doesn't matter. Don't forget that the local security policy is applied at login (so logout & login). – karel – 2019-06-21T05:25:56.863

1Reason you need to add the Users group into Administrative Tools > Local Security Policy > Security Settings > Local Policies > User Rights Assignment > Change the time zone is because the time/date applet runs in non-admin context So, even though you have a local admin account on the computer, the time/date applet isn't running in an administrative context... so belonging to the local Administrators group doesn't matter. The local security policy is applied at logon - you'll need to log off and back on before you can change the time zone – Greg Smid – 2019-06-20T21:07:36.817

The following did not work for me: * Add Users group to Administrative Tools > Local Security Policy > Security Settings > Local Policies > User Rights Assignment > Change the time zone.

After the reboot, i still could not change the timezone. I solved it by using Powershell instead. This is how i solved it on a Windows 2012 R2 server:

Downloaded Powershell version 5.1 and installed it on the server.
Rebooted server.
Open Powershell with "Run as an administrator"
Run command:

Set-TimeZone "W. Europe Standard Time"

Andreas Eriksson

Posted 2012-03-25T07:58:56.363

Reputation: 11

To change the time zone currently being used please follow these steps:

1.From the Start page click on “Settings” and then click on “More PC Settings”:

2.Next go to “General” and select the new time zone from the drop-down list.

HackToHell

Posted 2012-03-25T07:58:56.363

Reputation: 6 162

Well, the setting appears to be there, but it doesn't seem to stick, and my machine keeps defaulting back to Pacific Time (and as such didn't take into account the DST change last night) – Rowland Shaw – 2012-03-25T12:00:29.413

@RowlandShaw No idea abt that. – HackToHell – 2012-03-25T12:36:45.730

Create new Account and set it to Administrator 2.Goto control panel > administrative tools > Local security policy > local policies > User rights assignment > Change time zone

Then click add users or group, click advance find now and look for the account you created. after that login your created account/ user then change timezone. the go back to your current user.

Johandsome Henrik

Posted 2012-03-25T07:58:56.363

Reputation: 1

Just run command prompt with admin credentials and run this:

C:\Windows\System32>timedate.cpl

set time as you wish.

Konstantin Panchenko

Posted 2012-03-25T07:58:56.363

Reputation: 1

In my scenario, I was running as an administrator, and the issue was down to the Local Policy not being set as expected. – Rowland Shaw – 2020-02-03T09:33:26.450

Several people seem to have a problem with Windows 8 Consumer Preview and the time settings - including me. (It helps to know you are not alone!)

I fixed mine, but I wasn't paying full attention to the exact steps. I just remember going back to my Control Panel, Date and Time AGAIN, and the second or third time it took, set, worked, and hasn't given me anymore trouble.

Guy Thomas

Posted 2012-03-25T07:58:56.363

Reputation: 3 160