A time zone is a geographic region that has the same standard time. Using the correct time zone is essential for many system tasks and processes. For example, the cron daemon uses the system’s time zone for executing cron jobs, and the timestamps in log files are based on the same time zone.

On Debian 13 (Trixie), the system’s time zone is set during the installation, but it can be easily changed at a later time.

This article explains how to set or change the time zone on Debian 13.

Quick Reference #

Checking the Current Time Zone #

timedatectl is a command-line utility that allows you to view and change the system’s time and date. It is available on all modern systemd-based Linux systems, including Debian 13.

To view the current time zone, run the timedatectl command without any options:

timedatectl

The output below shows that the system’s time zone is set to UTC:

 Local time: Sat 2026-02-07 14:30:44 UTC
Universal time: Sat 2026-02-07 14:30:44 UTC
RTC time: Sat 2026-02-07 14:30:44
Time zone: Etc/UTC (UTC, +0000)
System clock synchronized: yes
systemd-timesyncd.service active: yes
RTC in local TZ: no

The system time zone is configured by symlinking the /etc/localtime file to a binary time zone identifier in the /usr/share/zoneinfo directory. You can also check the time zone by viewing the path the symlink points to using the ls command:

ls -l /etc/localtime

lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 27 Feb 7 14:30 /etc/localtime -> /usr/share/zoneinfo/Etc/UTC

Changing the Time Zone on Debian 13 #

Before changing the time zone, you need to find the long name of the time zone you want to use. Time zones use a “Region/City” format.

To list all available time zones, use the timedatectl command with the list-timezones option:

timedatectl list-timezones

...
America/Montserrat
America/Nassau
America/New_York
America/Nipigon
America/Nome
...

To filter the list for a specific region or city, pipe the output through grep:

timedatectl list-timezones | grep -i "europe"

Once you identify the correct time zone for your location, run the following command as root or user with sudo privileges :

sudo timedatectl set-timezone <your_time_zone>

For example, to change the system’s time zone to Europe/London, you would run:

sudo timedatectl set-timezone Europe/London

Verify the change by invoking the timedatectl command again:

timedatectl

 Local time: Sat 2026-02-07 14:35:09 GMT
Universal time: Sat 2026-02-07 14:35:09 UTC
RTC time: Sat 2026-02-07 14:35:09
Time zone: Europe/London (GMT, +0000)
System clock synchronized: yes
systemd-timesyncd.service active: yes
RTC in local TZ: no

The time zone has been successfully changed.

Using dpkg-reconfigure #

On Debian systems, you can also change the time zone using the tzdata package. This method provides an interactive text-based interface:

sudo dpkg-reconfigure tzdata

The command opens a menu where you can select the geographic area and then the city or region. After making your selection, the system time zone is updated automatically.

Troubleshooting #

Changes do not persist after reboot
Ensure /etc/localtime is a symlink to a valid file in /usr/share/zoneinfo and re-run sudo timedatectl set-timezone Region/City.

Clock is still wrong after changing the time zone
Check that NTP sync is active with timedatectl status. If it is disabled, enable time synchronization: sudo timedatectl set-ntp true.

FAQ #

How do I check the current time zone on Debian 13?
Run the timedatectl command without any arguments. The “Time zone” line in the output shows the currently configured time zone.

Can I change the time zone without restarting?
Yes. The timedatectl set-timezone command takes effect immediately. There is no need to restart the system or any services.

What is the difference between timedatectl and dpkg-reconfigure tzdata?
Both methods achieve the same result. timedatectl is a single command that works on any systemd-based distribution. dpkg-reconfigure tzdata provides an interactive menu and is specific to Debian and Ubuntu systems.

Where are the time zone files stored?
Time zone data files are stored in the /usr/share/zoneinfo directory. The /etc/localtime file is a symlink that points to the active time zone file in that directory.

Conclusion #

To change the time zone on Debian 13, use the sudo timedatectl set-timezone command followed by the long name of the time zone you want to set.

If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment below.