Where Is the Timezone Set on Linux?
Linux timezone files: /etc/localtime symlink, /etc/timezone and the timedatectl command.
Last updated
The system timezone resolves through /etc/localtime (a symlink into zoneinfo) with /etc/timezone holding the plain name on Debian-likes. timedatectl manages both.
Containers often mount a fixed localtime. Editing inside the container then has no effect until the mount is fixed at the host level.
Where Linux stores this, by platform
/etc/localtime
Symlink into /usr/share/zoneinfo plus the /etc/timezone name file. Prefer timedatectl set-timezone over hand edits. Containers may override via mounts.
Frequently asked questions
How do I change the Linux timezone?
Run timedatectl set-timezone with the Zone/Name from /usr/share/zoneinfo. It updates the symlink and related files atomically across systemd and legacy readers.
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