(Updated) Windows updates are available for 2026 time zone changes in Canada

(Updated October 16, 2026: Added guidance for managing the Alberta and British Columbia time zone changes in Outlook Time Zone Changes for Alberta and British Columbia.)

What and why

Windows updates are now available to support the 2026 time zone changes in Manitoba, Alberta, and British Columbia. On November 1, 2026, clocks in affected regions will not be set back by one hour.

Manitoba will permanently stay on UTC-5, Alberta and affected locations will permanently stay on UTC-6, and most of British Columbia will permanently stay on UTC-7. The new Windows updates add region-specific time zones to support these changes.

Rollout schedule

• September 22, 2026: The Alberta and British Columbia changes became available in the September 2026 non-security preview update for Windows 11, versions 25H2 and 24H2.
• October 13, 2026: The Manitoba change became available for all supported versions of Windows. The Alberta and British Columbia changes became available for all other supported versions of Windows, including Windows Server. These changes are included in the October 2026 security update.
• November 1, 2026: The time zone transitions take effect at 2:00 a.m. local time. Clocks in affected areas will not be set back by one hour.

Impact on your organization

Devices in affected regions will display an incorrect local time after the November 1, 2026 transition if the applicable Windows update is not installed or the appropriate time zone is not selected. The updates add the following region-specific time zones:

• (UTC-05:00) Manitoba
• (UTC-06:00) Mountain Time (Alberta)
• (UTC-07:00) Pacific Time (British Columbia)

The Alberta time zone change also applies to Yellowknife and Inuvik in the Northwest Territories and locations in southeastern British Columbia that align with Alberta.

Devices configured to set the time zone automatically will select the appropriate new time zone. On other devices, the new region-specific time zone must be selected manually.

Action required/recommendations

• Install the applicable Windows update on affected devices before November 1, 2026.
• Confirm that affected devices use the appropriate region-specific time zone after installing the update.
• If a device cannot receive the update before November 1, 2026, read and follow the interim guidance for each affected region detailed in the Daylight Saving Time & Time Zone Blog and move the device to the appropriate region-specific time zone as soon as possible.

Note: To manage this change in Outlook, please follow the guidance in the article Outlook Time Zone Changes for Alberta and British Columbia.

Compliance considerations

No compliance considerations are identified. Review as appropriate for your organization and region-specific time zone.

Additional information

• Daylight Saving Time & Time Zone Blog
• Alberta 2026 time zone update available now
• British Columbia 2026 time zone update available now
• Manitoba 2026 time zone update available now
• Outlook Time Zone Changes for Alberta and British Columbia | Microsoft Support
• Daylight saving time help and support