Daylight Saving Time 2026 Ends Nov 1: Will Your Phone and PC Change Automatically?

Daylight saving time 2026 ends in the US on Sunday, November 1, 2026, at 2:00 a.m. local time, when clocks fall back one hour to 1:00 a.m. The good news: your iPhone, Android phone, Windows PC and Mac will change on their own, as long as their time is set automatically and their time zone is right. Here is what to check before the weekend, and how to fix a clock that shows the wrong time.

Quick answer: US daylight saving time ends at 2:00 a.m. on Sunday, November 1, 2026, and clocks go back to 1:00 a.m. Phones, computers, smartwatches and most internet-connected devices update automatically if “set time automatically” and the automatic or correct time zone are turned on. Check iPhone in Settings > General > Date & Time, Android in the Clock app settings, Windows in Settings > Time & language > Date & time, and Mac in System Settings > General > Date & Time. Oven, microwave, car and older wall or alarm clocks must be changed by hand.

When does daylight saving time 2026 end?

According to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), daylight saving time in 2026 runs from March 8 at 2 a.m. to November 1 at 2 a.m. (local time). DST ends at 2:00 a.m. on the first Sunday of November, and clocks go back to 1:00 a.m., so the hour from 1:00 to 2:00 a.m. happens twice that night.

• Date: Sunday, November 1, 2026
• Time: 2:00 a.m. local time becomes 1:00 a.m.
• Effect: you get one extra hour that night, and sunset comes an hour earlier by the clock from Sunday on
• Not affected: NIST notes that DST is not observed in Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and Arizona (except the Navajo Nation, which does observe it)

Other countries change their clocks on different dates, or not at all. If you work with people abroad, check the gap after the change with our time zone converter.

Will my phone and computer change automatically?

Yes, in almost every case. Modern phones and computers do not count the hours themselves to decide when DST ends. They get the correct time from the network or an internet time server and apply the daylight saving rules for your time zone. So the change happens by itself at 2:00 a.m., even while the device is asleep.

It goes wrong mainly in three cases:

• The device is set to a manual time instead of automatic time.
• The time zone is set by hand to the wrong zone (for example, a zone that follows different DST rules, or a fixed offset).
• The automatic time zone depends on location, and location access for the system is turned off.

Take two minutes before Saturday night to check the settings below on each device you rely on for alarms.

iPhone and iPad: check Date & Time

These steps come from Apple’s support page If you can’t change the time or time zone on your Apple device.

1. Open Settings and tap General > Date & Time.
2. Turn on Set Time Automatically.
3. If you see a message that updated time zone information is available, restart your device and any paired Apple Watch.
4. Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services, scroll down, tap System Services and turn on Setting Time Zone.

If you prefer a fixed zone, turn off Set Time Automatically, tap Time Zone and type a city in your time zone. Picking a city (for example, New York or Chicago) keeps the DST rules for that place, so the clock still falls back on November 1.

Android phones: check automatic date and time

Google’s Clock Help page gives this route through the Clock app:

1. Open your device’s Clock app.
2. Tap More > Settings.
3. Tap Change date and time.
4. Turn on Automatic date and time.
5. Under Time zone, turn on Automatic time zone.

Google notes that your device may use location to work out your time zone, and that only some devices let you set the time zone automatically. Menu names can differ a little between phone makers; if your phone has no automatic time zone option, choose your time zone by city or region so DST is handled for you.

Windows 11 and Windows 10: check Date & time

Microsoft’s guide Set time, date, and time zone settings in Windows uses the same path on both versions:

1. Select Start > Settings > Time & language > Date & time.
2. Keep Set time automatically turned on.
3. Keep Set time zone automatically turned on, or turn it off and choose your zone from the Time zone drop-down.

If you set the time zone by hand, make sure Adjust for daylight saving time automatically is on. Microsoft explains that this option only applies when Set time zone automatically is off; when the automatic time zone is on, Windows handles daylight saving time for you.

Mac: check Date & Time settings

From Apple’s Mac User Guide:

1. Choose Apple menu > System Settings, click General in the sidebar, then click Date & Time (you may need to scroll down).
2. Turn on Set time and date automatically.
3. Turn on Set time zone automatically using your current location. This needs Location Services to be on.

Apple’s support page adds that on a Mac you should check Location Services, click Details next to System Services and make sure the time zone setting is on, then restart the Mac if the time zone was wrong.

Smartwatches, smart speakers and other devices

Devices that get their time from the internet or from a paired phone usually follow along without any help. Clocks that run on their own do not. A simple way to sort them on Sunday morning:

What to do if a clock didn’t change

If a phone or computer still shows the old time on Sunday morning, work through these checks:

1. Turn automatic time back on. A manual time setting won’t follow DST. Switch it to automatic as shown above.
2. Check the time zone. Make sure the zone matches where you are, chosen by city or region, not a fixed offset.
3. Allow location for the system time zone. On iPhone and Mac, automatic time zone needs Location Services for system services.
4. Connect to the internet. A device that has been offline can’t check the time server.
5. Restart the device. Apple recommends a restart when updated time zone information is available.

Finally, set alarms you depend on for Sunday and Monday on a phone with automatic time on, rather than on a manual alarm clock. If you want to make the most of the extra hour, our sleep calculator can help you plan bedtime around the change.

Does the time change affect websites and schedules?

Scheduled emails, calendar invites and posts are normally stored with a time zone, so they move with the clock. If you work with an audience or team in another country, though, the gap between your times changes by an hour for a while. We covered this for site owners in how US daylight saving time affects bloggers.

FAQ

When does daylight saving time end in 2026?

In the US, daylight saving time 2026 ends on Sunday, November 1, 2026, at 2:00 a.m. local time, when clocks go back to 1:00 a.m.

Do we fall back or spring forward in November 2026?

You fall back. Clocks move back one hour, so you gain an hour on the night of October 31 to November 1.

Will my iPhone change time automatically for daylight saving time?

Yes, if Set Time Automatically is on in Settings > General > Date & Time and your time zone is correct. Turning on Setting Time Zone under Location Services > System Services lets the iPhone set the zone itself.

Will my Windows PC change the time automatically?

Yes, if Set time automatically and Set time zone automatically are on in Settings > Time & language > Date & time. If you set the zone by hand, turn on Adjust for daylight saving time automatically.

Which clocks do I have to change manually?

Anything that doesn’t get its time from the internet or a phone: most ovens and microwaves, many car clocks, wall clocks, wristwatches and older alarm clocks.

Do all US states change their clocks?

No. NIST lists Hawaii and Arizona (except the Navajo Nation), plus American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, as places that don’t observe daylight saving time.

Photo by Katie Harp on Unsplash