How To Set Clock As Screen Saver In Windows 11 (Hidden Feature)

The screen saver feature is turned off by default in Windows 11. Turning on the screen saver gives access to 3D Text, Bubbles, Ribbons, Blank, Photos, and Mystify screen savers, which can be done with a few mouse clicks.

Although these screen savers are not new and have been part of the Windows operating system for over a decade, many users using Windows for decades do not know about the hidden clock screen saver.

Yes, the Windows operating system offers a clock screen saver, which, when enabled, shows time as the screen saver. The best part is that you can customize the clock font, font size, color, and more.

While the hidden clock screen works well, remember that it has not been updated for over a decade. It’s nothing fancy, but it serves the purpose well. We recommend using the available customization options to make it look better.

This guide shows you how to enable the hidden clock screen saver in Windows 11.

Enable the built-in clock screen saver in Windows 11

Step 1: Type Change Screen Saver in the Start or taskbar search field to open the Screen Saver Settings dialog.

Step 2: Here, in the Screen Saver section, select the 3D Text screen saver.

Yes, we need to select the 3D Text screen saver in order to enable the clock screen saver. It’s just that Windows offers an option to display time instead of the standard text to transform the default 3D Text screen saver into a clock screen saver.

Step 3: Select the ideal time before Windows 11 turns on the screen saver. We suggest 2 or 5 minute.

Step 4: Now, click the Settings button to see all the customization settings available for the screen saver.

Step 5: Finally, select the Time radio button (refer to the picture below) and then click the OK button.

As you can see in the picture, the settings dialog offers plenty of options to customize the clock. You can change the default font, resolution (we recommend setting it too high for the best result), size (small to large), rotation speed, rotation type (none, spin, sea-saw, wobble, and tumble), and surface style.

Step 6: Click the Apply button to set the clock screen saver.

Tip: If, for some reason, you are not happy with this built-in clock screen saver, you can use a third-party screen saver. There are plenty, but we recommend the popular Fliqlo screen saver. It’s probably the best clock screen saver available for both Windows and Mac.