WorldClock.Classic is an attractive and easy to use desktop time utility that includes timezone, timesync, calendar, wallpaper and alarm features. Its primary purpose is to get the current local time for any area of the world simply by clicking on a world map. It will automatically determine whether Daylight Savings Time is in effect for the selected area and adjusts the time accordingly. WorldClock.Classic can synchronize your computer's clock with one of the many 'Atomic Clocks' available on the Internet. [1] You can also schedule TimeSyncs to occur at pre-defined intervals or at a set time. And by using the WorldClock.Classic AutoTimeSync Service, this scheduled TimeSync will occur even if WorldClock.Classic is not running. WorldClock.Classic also gives you the ability to fully customize the Windows taskbar clock display. In addition to displaying regular time and date information, it also allows you to display current local weather conditions. [2] WorldClock.Classic also comes with several Windows wallpaper features that present a wide variety of very useful information. These include: A high resolution day/night world map with the local times of up to 32 selectable cities (four in trial version); an analog clock display with user configurable update frequency; a one to three month calendar; and the current weather conditions for any selected city. You can also set up to eight alarms active for any pattern of selected days. Alarms can be configured to sound a user selectable media file or run an application. WorldClock.Classic also has a very nice calendar that allows you to set important reminders (with notification) and includes a global database of public holidays. And finally, WorldClock.Classic can display a series of multiple clock windows that easily allows you to keep track of the local times for a large number of cities. A screenshot of WorldClock.Classic's main window is shown below.

WorldClock.Classic will automatically reset your computer's clock if it finds a difference. Note that this does not apply to the Trial Version which will display the adjustment value but will not reset the clock.

The format string for the time display in the image above would be:

_h:nn tt (TEMP, COND)\ndddd mmmm dd

This Taskbar Clock Display Format String that you create in the Preferences screen is the heart of the date/time display control. You construct a string of 'elements' that tells WorldClock.Classic what to display. The following table lists some of these elements:

You also have control over the popup tooltip that is displayed when you hover your mouse over the taskbar clock display. The same elements as above are available for the construction of the tooltip format string.

When used in conjunction with the Weather feature, this can be a useful way of keeping track of the current weather as shown in the image above. (Note that you need not have the weather wallpaper feature active in order to have the taskbar clock display weather information. Worldclock.Classic will update the weather info even if the weather wallpaper is disabled.)

The format string for the tooltip in the image above would be:

"Current conditions are" TEMP "and" COND.\n"Winds are at" WIND.

You can also control the length of time (in seconds) the tooltip is displayed.

NOTE: Due to Microsoft's overhaul of the taskbar on Windows 11, the taskbar clock customization feature will no longer be available if you are on Windows 11 or higher. However, this feature will continue to be available if you are on Windows 10 or earlier. Also note that there are several third-party programs that can restore the Windows 10 taskbar functionality under Windows 11. Should you be using one of these programs, WorldClock.Classic's taskbar clock customization feature will also be available under Windows 11.

You can easily keep track of important dates by 'marking' the calendar for special days to remember such as birthdays, anniversaries, and celebrations. You can also choose to receive an alert when any of these dates arrive. The alert can be text-only, or text and sound (either WorldClock.Classic's built-in sound or a media file of your choice). You can also configure the time that the alert is delivered.

The world map wallpaper can also be configured to display the night area using a satellite composite image of the Earth's surface at night. The day area uses the regular map while the night area uses a 'Night Lights' map. These 'Night Lights' are, of course, night illumination from our major metropolitan areas (street lighting, electric signs, etc.) which are clearly visible from space. (The screen shot above shows what this feature looks like.)

Your wallpaper will be regenerated according to your selected update frequency to reflect the current position of the shadow area and the current time on the time panels. If you have opted to display the clock as well, it too will be updated.

WorldClock.Classic Wallpaper Image Using Typical Settings

If you don't like my choice of font or colour for the time display, you have the option of changing it. Simply select the 'Set Time Display' option from the popup menu and you can select from several different choices. If you only want to see the hours and minutes in the time display, simply turn off the 'Show Seconds' option in the Preferences.

If you minimize the WorldClock.Classic program, the program name on the Windows taskbar changes from 'WorldClock' to display the current location and time of your selected zone. You also have the option of minimizing WorldClock.Classic to the System Tray. Note that if you choose this option, you will lose the taskbar display of the selected area's current time. However, if you move the mouse over the WorldClock.Classic icon in the tray area, a hint window will popup to display this time. You can also choose to start your program already minimized.

When you run WorldClock.Classic, the main window presents you with a map of the world. You can click anywhere on the map to select that area's time zone. You will see the selected zone time display (the right pane) update to reflect the UTC hour shift as well as the local time in your selected zone. Alternately, you can select an area/city in the listbox at the bottom of the screen. As stated previously, the program takes into account whether or not DST is in effect in the selected time zone. If so, you will see a little 'sun' icon appear just to the right of the time zone display. You will also notice that once you have select a time zone, the 'Select Place in Zone' popup menu item (the popup menu is shown above) is filled in with all of the places associated with that specific time zone.

Right-clicking anywhere on the WorldClock.Classic window will bring up the popup menu. Using the 'Preferences' item on this menu you can select various options such as whether or not to show the map and/or places segments of the WorldClock.Classic window. This can be handy when you want to park WorldClock.Classic in a small corner of your screen and take up as little space as possible. Note that there is also a 'Stay On Top' option in the Preferences menu. As the name implies, this option will force the WorldClock.Classic window to always remain above your other windows.

Selecting the 'Set Clock' option from the menu (or double clicking on either time display) will bring up the TimeSync screen. Press the Check Time button on this screen to validate your computer's clock against your selected Internet Time Server. Note that you are not limited to my list of selected time servers. You can also enter your own server address if you so choose. You can also ask WorldClock.Classic to set your's computer's clock at pre-set intervals. Select the 'AutoTimeSync' option from the Preferences and you can choose an hourly interval or specific time when to perform a time sync. If you wish to run the program just to set the clock and then exit, there is a '/s' command line option to do this.

You can also check for, and automatically download, any updates to WorldClock.Classic's timezone database by selecting the 'Check for Timezone Database Update' option from the menu.

You will note that if you move your mouse over the date areas, the dates turn into buttons. Press either of these buttons and a calendar will popup on the side of the main screen. You can move the calendar display around by clicking and dragging while your mouse is over the month name. You can close the calendar display by clicking on the little 'x' at the lower right-hand corner of the calendar screen. (You can also bring up the calendar screen by selecting the 'Show Calendar' option from the popup menu.)

Once the calendar screen is up, you will note that there are two sets of buttons at the top of the calendar. The set on the left allows you to scroll the calendar through the months, while the set on the right allows you to scroll the calendar through the years. If you right click while your mouse is over the calendar area of the calendar screen, you will get a popup menu that allows you to select various options for the calendar. The main use for this menu is to set/reset your 'marked' days. Note that you can mark a day for the current year, or for all years. For instance, if you want to mark an upcoming event (concert, date, whatever) you would only mark for the current year. Birthday reminders, on the other hand, you would want to mark for all years.

You also have the ability to make all of the main WorldClock.Classic windows 'translucent'. This is very useful if you've set up WorldClock.Classic for 'Stay-on-Top' operation but find that it gets in the way of viewing your active application. With this translucency feature, you can still see your document (or whatever program is currently running) under the WorldClock.Classic window. You have full control over the level of translucency varying from almost fully translucent to fully opaque.