In Windows, you can customize the time and date displayed on the Taskbar. In addition to changing the format of the time on the clock, you can also add custom text to the clock.
NOTE: Adding custom text to the Taskbar clock works in Windows Vista and Windows 7, but not in Windows XP. We tested it in all three versions. Our examples in this post were done in Windows 7, with notes about how the procedure differs in Vista.
To add custom text to the clock, click Control Panel on the Start menu.
If your Control Panel displays with the Category display active, select Small icons from the View by drop-down list.
In Vista, click the Classic View link in the upper, left corner of the Control Panel.
Scroll down in the list of available tools and click Region and Language.
In Vista, click the Regional and Language Options icon.
The Region and Language dialog box displays. Click the Additional Settings button on the Formats tab.
In Vista, click the Customize this format button on the Formats tab on the Regional and Language Options dialog box.
The Customize Format dialog box displays. Click the Time tab. To replace the time with only custom text, enter “tt” (without the quotes) in the Long time edit box and enter your custom text in the AM symbol edit box and the PM symbol edit box.
In Vista, click the Time tab on the Customize Regional Options dialog box, and enter “tt” (without the quotes) in the Time format edit box. Your custom text goes in the same two edit boxes as in Windows 7.
NOTE: If you want your custom text to be different in the AM hours and the PM hours, enter different custom text in the AM symbol edit box and the PM symbol edit box.
Click Apply to view your changes without closing the Customize Format dialog box.
The text on the system clock changes to display only the custom text you entered.
If you want to display your custom text followed by the time, enter “tt h:mm” (without the quotes) in the Long time edit box (or the Time format box in Vista). Enter your custom text in the AM symbol and PM symbol edit boxes. Click Apply.
The clock displays your custom text followed by the time, without AM or PM.
The last example we show displays the time followed by AM/PM and your custom text. Enter “h:mm tt” (without the quotes) in the Long time edit box (or the Time format edit box in Vista). Enter “AM” followed by your custom text in the AM symbol edit box and “PM” followed by your custom text in the PM symbol edit box. Click Apply.
Here is how the time with AM/PM and your custom text would look.
You can reset the text on the clock to the default display by clicking the Reset button at the bottom of the Time tab.
A confirmation dialog box displays to make sure you want to remove the custom text you added. Click Yes.
Once you have set up the clock to display what you want, or reset to the default settings, click OK to close the Customize Format dialog box.
You are returned to the Region and Language dialog box. Click OK to close it.
On the Control Panel window, click the X in the upper, right corner to close it.
This tip may not seem very useful at first. However, if you look at the clock on your computer often to check the time, you can now add custom text to the clock to remind yourself of something you have to do.
by Lori Kaufman