SharePoint Document Issues

How to Fix Incorrect Date and Time Display in SharePoint Lists

Maira Mehtab Sep 22, 2026 869 views

Question details

The user needs to fix a discrepancy in the date and time displayed in a SharePoint List when viewing it across different devices.

Product: SharePoint
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Viewing and entering data into a SharePoint List using both a computer and a mobile phone.
Observed behavior: The time displayed on the computer is incorrect, showing a significant discrepancy (e.g., a 3-hour difference) compared to the correct time shown on the phone.

Before you start

Ensure you have Site Owner or List Administrator permissions, as you will need them to access and modify list and site regional settings in SharePoint.

Solution 1Recommended

Disable Offline Synchronization for the List

Turning off offline sync ensures that the list fetches real-time data directly from the server rather than displaying a locally cached version.

SharePoint lists sometimes cache data locally to improve performance. This can cause time discrepancies if the local cache does not update properly. Disabling this feature forces a live sync.

Open List Settings

Navigate to your SharePoint list, click on the Settings gear icon in the top right corner, and select 'List settings' from the dropdown menu.

Access Advanced Settings

Under the General Settings section, click on 'Advanced settings'.

Turn off Offline Sync

Scroll down to the 'Offline Client Availability' section and set the 'Offline and Sync' option to 'No'.

Save and Refresh

Click 'OK' at the bottom of the page to save your changes, then return to your list and refresh the browser page.

Immediate effect: Refreshing the list after applying this change should immediately correct the timestamps if caching was the root cause.

Solution 2

Verify Site Regional and Time Zone Settings

Inconsistent site regional settings can cause a time discrepancy between different devices or user profiles.

Solution 3

Check Local Device Time Settings

Local device settings or browser profiles can interfere with how time data is rendered from SharePoint.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why does my SharePoint list show a 3-hour time difference on different devices?

This typically happens when the local device time zone settings conflict with the SharePoint site's regional settings, or if offline synchronization is caching an older, un-synced timestamp on the computer.

Do I need admin rights to change SharePoint regional settings?

Yes, changing the site-wide regional settings requires Site Owner or Site Administrator permissions. If you do not have these rights, you will need to contact your IT department.

Can individual users set their own time zones in SharePoint?

Yes, users can configure their personal language and region settings in their Microsoft 365 profile. These personal settings can override the site's default time zone for their specific view.

How do I clear the offline sync cache in a SharePoint list?

You can force the list to fetch fresh data by navigating to List settings > Advanced settings, setting 'Offline Client Availability' to 'No', and then refreshing the page in your browser.

Document & File Issues