Windows has several ways to sync time and keep it accurate. One such feature is the newly introduced Secure Time Seeding (STS) which is mainly designed and implemented for ensuring precise system clock synchronization. Secure Time Seeding uses SSL handshakes with remote servers to gather time information. The system then uses this data to set its clock. The idea is to prevent errors caused by incorrect system clocks, which can cause problems with installed applications and other Windows features. The Secure Time Seeding feature is enabled by default.
This quick and easy Windows tutorial shows you how to disable the Secure Time Seeding feature if it’s causing problems and steps to enable it when you need it back.
Disable Secure Time Seeding (STS) on Windows
While the Secure Time Seeding feature is pretty helpful in keeping track of accurate time, it can also cause unintended issues which can sometimes stop your PC from booting entirely. For example, there has been a problem recently that caused unexpected behavior in Secure Time Seeding, causing system clocks to jump forward or backward by days, weeks, months, or even years. This, expectedly, caused critical problems and crashed the system or in the worst case made it unbootable. If you are having problems with STS, it is better to disable it.
Follow the steps provided below to disable Secure Time Seeding on Windows:
Step 1: Launch the Registry Editor window. You can search for it in the Start menu.
Step 2: Go to the below folder in the Registry window. You can paste the below path in the address bar and press Enter.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\W32Time\Config
Step 3: Double-click on the UtilizeSslTimeData value in the Registry window.
Step 4: Change the Value Data from 1 to 0 and click Ok.
Step 5: Close the Registry window and reboot your PC.
Once the system has been rebooted, the Secure Time Seeding feature is disabled on Windows 11.
Enable Secure Time Seeding (STS) on Windows
If the Secure Time Seeding feature is disabled, follow the steps provided below to enable it back.
- Open Registry Editor.
- Go to the “HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\W32Time\Config” folder.
- Double-click on the UtilizeSslTimeData value.
- Change the Value Data from 0 to 1.
- Click/tap Ok.
- Close the Registry window.
- Reboot your computer.
Note: If you cannot find the value, right-click on the Config folder on the sidebar, select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value, and set the value name as UtilizeSslTimeData. Change value data to 0 next.
After restarting the computer, the Secure Time Seeding feature is enabled and will start working automatically. You don’t have to configure any settings.
That’s it. I hope this guide helped you in managing the Secure Time Seeding feature on Windows.
If you are stuck or need help, send an email, and I will try to help as much as possible.
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