How do I update the Windows 10 NTP time when my machine is in a workgroup and not a domain?
My Windows machine is not on a domain and I need it to update the time from an NTP server.
Is there a command to do this when you are not on the domain?
At work I use net time /domain:DC1 to set the time, but at home I don't know what to do.
I know my routers have NTP servers on them, but I have no idea how to update the time from them.
Windows systems already act as an NTP client by default, regardless of whether they're in a domain or not. The only differences are in the default server being used (domain members use a DC, standalone systems use a public NTP server) and in whether MS-SNTP authentication is used.
The command-line interface to the NTP service is w32tm. You can use w32tm /resync to ask the service to immediately sync with the currently configured NTP server, and w32tm /config /manualpeerlist:[..] to change the server that's being used (default is "time.windows.com").
(If you get "Service has not been started", start the "W32Time" service. In the past it used to start automatically and run the whole time, but now it is "trigger-started" only when needed.)
The graphical interface is timedate.cpl, but there is also a "Sync now" button in the modern Settings app under Time & Language, although the latter only shows the current server and doesn't let you change it – but both UIs let you trigger an immediate resync. (Strangely, on my computer, they disagree as to which server is being used...)
Cheap routers probably won't make good NTP servers; often a public service will do a better job. Your router most likely gets its time from one anyway.
Note that net time doesn't use NTP – it actually connects to the server via SMB, binds to the 'srvsvc' service, and issues a 'NetRemoteTOD' RPC call to get the current time of the SMB server.
It's part of the legacy MS-RAP "Remote Administration Protocol" that dates back to the DOS & OS/2 "LAN Manager" era. It will actually work with (almost) any SMB server, not necessarily domain controllers – but it won't work with "pure" (non-AD) NTP servers.
You could try this:
- Open Control Panel --> Clock,Language, and Region.
- Click Date and Time, then click the Internet Time tab
- Click Change Settings and in the Server textbox type the NTP server address
