Automatic date and time problem on Mac Book air M1

Update: MacOS 14.3 corrects this problem.

This has also been happening to me since November 2023. It is very aggravating, not to mention mysterious, since every once in a blue moon, the "set time and date automatically" option does work. (I keep trying!) But I have no idea why it works then and not at other moments. Is this a glitch in the Macbook Air? If so, it is surprising that Apple hasn't resolved it yet. Or is this 'just' part of planned obsolescence? Grrr.

Same Issue - Automatic date and time problem on My Mac Book air stay to November 2023 ... I've to force the date through the manual settings. Otherwhise I am facing a poor internet connection (issue with certificate, authentification, Software update...) 

I've tried the safe mode and this didn't solve the issue. This issue seems to impact lots of Mac book air users.

I've tried to point to other Apple time servers without any success. Please let me know when there is a generic solution.

Hello Clock_Failure_macbook,

Isolating what is blocking the ability to change that setting to automatic would be our next step.

We would suggest starting up the system in what is called safe mode. Safe mode only loads what is needed to run the computer. This can help isolate what is causing issues.

To start in safe mode, follow these steps:

1. Turn on or restart your Mac, then immediately press and hold the Shift key as your Mac starts up.

2. Release the key when you see the login window, then log in to your Mac. 

3. You might be asked to log in again. On either the first or second login window, you should see ”Safe Boot” in the upper-right corner of the window.

More information is available here: How to use safe mode on your Mac - Apple Support

The computer will take longer to start in safe mode, and the screen may have some distorted video as it starts up. This is normal. Once you are logged in, use the system and test to see if you can change the setting.

If everything seems to work as expected, go ahead and restart the computer normally and test again. There are steps outlined on what to do if the issue does or does not continue in safe mode.

Starting in safe mode also forces the computer to run some disk checks similar to First Aid. This can actually resolve some issues.

Have a good day.

this worked great but why oh why did I even have to do this

Thanks so much for the detailed instructions this worked perfectly!!

Same issue. And when it is set to manual, it requires the password for a test user account and not the admin account. Also having issues on Mac mini with password apparently being reset and Apple ID reverting to previous owner even though he signed out and reset to factory when we picked it up.

Awesome. Thanks for the help. Issue occured after a brand new machine had run out of battery It's just too stupid that the wrong date prevents the machine from reaching Apple's time server. They could easily fix this by making the time request plain http and not https, thus bypassing the certificate restriction. Equally stupid that setting the date manually does not override the stored date.

Had this issue for over an hour now... Found out if you just either set manually then reeboot or just reboot and then toggle on and off the automatic time really fast 3-6x it'll finally connect to the server and reset.

When I get to the “timed” folder it does not allow me to open. A pop up comes up saying I don’t have permission to access the “timed” folder and suggests I go to admin? As this is an individual laptop not sure I have admin.

Any other suggestions

I had this issue on Easter 2024. The solution doesn't work if you open anything or make the Mac go to sleep prior to restarting. I accidentally hit sleep after removing the .plist file and reappeared when I turn the screen back on. The automatic time and date sent me back to May 2023,,,

When I deleted the file again but correctly hit restart right after, the fix worked like a charm.

Hope it helps!

Go to Settings/General/Date & Time and switch off the set time and date automatically. To view the hidden folders, navigate to Macintosh HD in Finder and press (command + shift +.). Navigate to var, then to db, then to timed, right-click on "get info", unlock at the bottom right to make changes, and set the Privilege to everyone to read and write. In the timed folder, remove the com.apple.timed.plist file. restart your computer and switch ON the set time and date

Update - needed to click the padlock first! Completed the steps and now happy to report that time updated and I can now use the internet! Thanks so much for sharing as no way I would have resolved this on my own.

This actually works guys, my boyfriend had the same issue on his MacBook Pro and nothing worked (restarting, turning location on and off, typing in the date manually, we even tried to rewrite some code on the laptop and reset the NVRAM - recommended by Apple staff). As a final attempt, we visited this page and tried to update the laptop's OS from Sonoma 4.1 to 4.5, which finally did the trick!

I reckon it's a bug with the software that could easily be resolved by updating the laptop. It is funny that Apple Support didn't think to recommend that option even after asking about the device's macOS.

Anyway, thanks for the suggestion user1305 🫶

This reply fixed it for me in case you want to give it a try, great follow along Mac keep reverting to wrong date & ti… - Apple Community