Configure default timezone for new SharePoint sites

Introduction #

The SharePoint admin center enables administrators to customize the default timezone for all new SharePoint sites, including those created by Microsoft Teams. By default, new sites are assigned the Pacific Time (UTC-8) timezone, but this may not be relevant for all tenants. It is recommended to adjust the default timezone to match the timezone of the customer to ensure that newly created sites inherit the correct timezone and do not need to be manually updated.

Properly setting the timezone is important because it determines how date fields in SharePoint document libraries will display dates and times. Incorrectly setting the timezone can lead to confusion, so it is essential to ensure it is set correctly.

Additional Information #

It’s important to note that changing the default timezone in SharePoint admin center will only apply to new SharePoint sites and will not affect existing sites. If you need to change the timezone for an existing SharePoint site, you can do so by following the steps below:

1. Navigate to the SharePoint site you want to change the timezone for
2. Click the “Gear” icon in the top right corner and select “Site Settings”
3. Under “Site Administration”, click “Regional settings”
4. In the “Time Zone” section, select the desired timezone from the dropdown menu
5. Click “OK” to save the changes

User Impact #

Low
Adjusting the default timezone will only affect how dates and times are displayed in SharePoint document libraries which are created after the change is made. If the default timezone is set incorrectly, it can be easily corrected without impacting any other settings or data.

Admin Portal Reference #

1. Navigate to the SharePoint admin center by going to https://admin.microsoft.com/
2. Click on “All admin centers”
3. Click on “SharePoint”
4. In the left sidebar, click “Settings”
5. Under “Site Creation”, find the “Default time zone” setting and click “Edit”
6. Select the desired timezone from the dropdown menu
7. Click “Save” to apply the changes

PowerShell Reference #

Not configurable using PowerShell.

Parameters #

Default Time Zone – The default timezone which is used for new SharePoint sites

If Action is set to Notify #

If the default timezone configured in the tenant matches the default timezone specified by the parameter, it is reported as compliant.

If the default timezone configured in the tenant does not match the default timezone specified by the parameter, it is reported as non-compliant.

If Action is set to Enforce #

If the default timezone configured in the tenant matches the default timezone specified by the parameter, it is reported as compliant.

If the default timezone configured in the tenant does not match the default timezone specified by the parameter, the value is updated to match the parameter and it is reported as compliant-fixed.