---
name: "systemd-timedated"
section: "8"
platform: "linux"
package: "systemd"
version: "257.13-1~deb13u1"
release: "Debian 13 (Trixie)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/systemd-timedated.service"
---

# systemd-timedated(8)

Time and date bus mechanism

Part of [systemd-timedated.service(8)](/systemd-timedated.service/8.md).

## NAME

systemd-timedated.service, systemd-timedated - Time and date bus mechanism

## SYNOPSIS

systemd-timedated.service

/usr/lib/systemd/systemd-timedated

## DESCRIPTION

systemd-timedated.service is a system service that may be used as a mechanism to change the system clock and timezone, as well as to enable/disable network time synchronization. systemd-timedated is automatically activated on request and terminates itself when it is unused.

The tool [**timedatectl**(1)](/timedatectl/1.md) is a command line client to this service.

systemd-timedated currently offers access to the following four settings:

• The system time

• The system timezone

• A boolean controlling whether the system RTC is in local or UTC timezone

• Whether the time synchronization service is enabled/started or disabled/stopped, see next section.

See [**org.freedesktop.timedate1**(5)](/org.freedesktop.timedate1/5.md) and [**org.freedesktop.LogControl1**(5)](/org.freedesktop.LogControl1/5.md) for information about the D-Bus API.

## LIST OF NETWORK TIME SYNCHRONIZATION SERVICES

**systemd-timedated** will look for files with a ".list" extension in ntp-units.d/ directories. Each file is parsed as a list of unit names, one per line. Empty lines and lines with comments ("#") are ignored. Files are read from /usr/lib/systemd/ntp-units.d/ and the corresponding directories under /etc/, /run/, /usr/local/lib/. Files in /etc/ override files with the same name in /run/, /usr/local/lib/, and /usr/lib/. Files in /run/ override files with the same name under /usr/. Packages should install their configuration files in /usr/lib/ (distribution packages) or /usr/local/lib/ (local installs).

**Example 1. ntp-units.d/ entry for systemd-timesyncd**

```
# /usr/lib/systemd/ntp-units.d/80-systemd-timesync.list
systemd-timesyncd.service
```

If the environment variable *$SYSTEMD\_TIMEDATED\_NTP\_SERVICES* is set, **systemd-timedated** will parse the contents of that variable as a colon-separated list of unit names. When set, this variable overrides the file-based list described above.

**Example 2. An override that specifies that chronyd should be used if available**

```
SYSTEMD_TIMEDATED_NTP_SERVICES=chronyd.service:systemd-timesyncd.service
```

## SEE ALSO

[**systemd**(1)](/systemd/1.md), [**timedatectl**(1)](/timedatectl/1.md), [**localtime**(5)](/localtime/5.md), [**hwclock**(8)](/hwclock/8.md), [**systemd-timesyncd**(8)](/systemd-timesyncd/8.md), [**org.freedesktop.timedate1**(5)](/org.freedesktop.timedate1/5.md)