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When do the clocks change?

Quick answer

When is the next clock change?

It depends where you are. Most of Europe changes on the last Sunday in March and October; the US and Canada on the second Sunday in March and the first in November; Australia, New Zealand and Chile run the opposite way round. Pick your country below for the exact dates.

Countries that change their clocks

CountryNext changeClocks
UKSunday 25 October 202602:00 → 01:00
IrelandSunday 25 October 202602:00 → 01:00
FranceSunday 25 October 202603:00 → 02:00
GermanySunday 25 October 202603:00 → 02:00
SpainSunday 25 October 202603:00 → 02:00
ItalySunday 25 October 202603:00 → 02:00
PortugalSunday 25 October 202602:00 → 01:00
The NetherlandsSunday 25 October 202603:00 → 02:00
BelgiumSunday 25 October 202603:00 → 02:00
SwitzerlandSunday 25 October 202603:00 → 02:00
AustriaSunday 25 October 202603:00 → 02:00
PolandSunday 25 October 202603:00 → 02:00
CzechiaSunday 25 October 202603:00 → 02:00
SwedenSunday 25 October 202603:00 → 02:00
NorwaySunday 25 October 202603:00 → 02:00
DenmarkSunday 25 October 202603:00 → 02:00
FinlandSunday 25 October 202604:00 → 03:00
GreeceSunday 25 October 202604:00 → 03:00
RomaniaSunday 25 October 202604:00 → 03:00
HungarySunday 25 October 202603:00 → 02:00
UkraineSunday 25 October 202604:00 → 03:00
MoldovaSunday 25 October 202603:00 → 02:00
The USSunday 1 November 202602:00 → 01:00
CanadaSunday 1 November 202602:00 → 01:00
ChileSaturday 5 September 202600:00 → 01:00
AustraliaSunday 4 October 202602:00 → 03:00
New ZealandSunday 27 September 202602:00 → 03:00
IsraelSunday 25 October 202602:00 → 01:00
EgyptThursday 29 October 202600:00 → 23:00

Countries that do not change their clocks

These either never adopted daylight saving or have abolished it. The clock stays put all year.

Why the spring change hurts and the autumn one does not

Going forward deletes an hour of sleep and drags your schedule earlier without your body clock agreeing to it. Your circadian rhythm does not jump with the clock; it takes several days to re-anchor, so the first mornings afterwards feel like mild jet lag. Going back gives the hour straight to you, which is why nobody writes articles about surviving October.

The practical fix is boring and effective: shift bedtime 15–20 minutes a day for three or four days beforehand, and get daylight soon after waking. Light is what actually moves the body clock — far more than discipline does.

What it means for your alarm

Phones handle the switch automatically, so the alarm rings at the time you set. The catch is that a short night deepens sleep inertia, and in that state silencing an alarm is something you can do while still effectively asleep. If the Monday after a clock change is when you tend to sleep through things, that is not a coincidence — and it is a fixable problem.

Need a bedtime for the new time? The sleep calculator will work it out.

Frequently asked questions

When do the clocks go forward?

It depends on the country. Most of Europe moves on the last Sunday in March, the United States and Canada on the second Sunday in March, and the southern hemisphere runs on the opposite schedule. The table on this page gives the exact date for each country.

Which countries have stopped changing the clocks?

A growing list — including Turkey, Russia, Brazil, most of Mexico, Iran and Argentina — has abolished daylight saving and now stays on one time all year. Countries that never used it, like Japan, India and China, are also listed here.

Does my phone change automatically?

Yes, as long as it is set to update the date and time automatically. Your alarm keeps the wall-clock time you set, so a 7:00 AM alarm still rings at 7:00 AM — but on the spring change you will have had an hour less sleep before it.

Why people use Captain Wake to wake up on time

Not because it rings louder. Because it removes every way your half-asleep brain talks you back into bed.

There is no button to tap

Swiping an alarm away is a reflex you can perform while still asleep. A mission needs your thinking brain switched on — and once it is on, sinking back under is much harder.

It survives every trick

Force-quit the app, restart the phone, flip it to silent, turn the volume down. The alarm re-arms and keeps going until the mission is actually done.

It gets you physically upright

Photo and barcode missions are anchored to a spot in another room, so the only way to stop the noise is to stand up and walk there. You cannot pre-stage it from bed.

It fixes the night, not just the morning

A sleep forecast before bed, bedtime reminders and wake-up streaks — because the 6 AM problem usually starts at 1 AM.

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