Microsoft is currently developing the KB5053643 update for Windows 10, which was released on March 25 as an optional update that needs to be installed manually if you want it. Come Patch Tuesday in April, this update will be automatically deployed to all Windows 10 PCs.
However, if you’re the kind of person who often needs to know the exact time down to the second, then KB5053643 could be unfavorable for you. Turns out, with this update, Microsoft is removing the clock display from the flyout menu that’s normally accessible by clicking on the time in the taskbar, reports Windows Latest.
This may not sound very dramatic, but it’s actually a really annoying change for anyone who regularly needs to know the exact time, whether for synchronization or programming purposes or something else.
After installing KB5053643, the clock—which you can expand by clicking on the time display in the taskbar—only shows the monthly calendar and the day of the week and the current date at the top. Microsoft has completely removed the time display from the flyout menu. (Prior to the update, the time display shows accurate to the second and the day of the week and the current date are displayed below it.)
Nothing changes with the clock display right in the taskbar, but as always you only get to see the hours and minutes there.
Why is Microsoft removing seconds?
According to Windows Latest, Microsoft claims that the seconds display in the clock is a burden on the graphical user interface and causes a performance hit. Windows 10 has to spend extra resources updating the time every second, and this constant activity prevents the CPU from entering a power-saving state. This is the same reason why Windows 11 originally didn’t have a seconds display in the taskbar (but Microsoft added the seconds display back in as an option in 2023).
Why is Microsoft removing this feature just a few months before the end of support for Windows 10? It almost seems as if they’re deliberately making Windows 10 less attractive in order to persuade Windows 10 users to upgrade to Windows 11. No surprise given that Microsoft apparently wants you to scrap perfectly good Windows 10 PCs.
This article originally appeared on our sister publication PC-WELT and was translated and localized from German.