Editor's note October 27, 2026: We've updated this blog post to include additional IT guidance for Microsoft products. Microsoft has released an update to address the new time-related change for Alberta...
Earlier in June 2026, the Alberta government made an official announcement that it will stay on Permanent DST or UTC-6 time zone.
The impact of this change is as follows:
- Clocks will not be set back by an hour at 02:00 a.m. on November 1st, 2026, for the Alberta time zone.
- The Alberta time zone will permanently shift to the UTC-6 time zone.
Microsoft is releasing the Windows updates below in support of this decision. This change is available in the September 2026 non-security preview update, released on September 22, 2026, for Windows 11, versions 25H2, 24H2. All other supported Windows versions will receive the update as part of the October monthly security update scheduled for release on October 13, 2026.
Visit Interim guidance for Alberta time zone changes 2026 for an earlier announcement of this change.
Updates by Windows version
Here are the knowledge base (KB) articles that contain the Alberta DST adjustment for different versions of Windows:
|
Product |
KB number |
|
Windows 26H1 | |
|
Windows 11, versions 25H2, 24H2 | |
|
Windows 11, version 23H2 | |
|
Windows Server 2025 | |
|
Windows Server 2022 | |
|
Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC 2021 | |
|
Windows Server 2019 | |
|
Windows Server 2016 |
All Windows updates containing this adjustment have the following release note text:
“[Date and Time] This update enables permanent Daylight Savings Time (DST) support for British Columbia and Alberta starting in November 2026.”
Workarounds
Important: Some Microsoft 365 apps and services, such as Outlook and Exchange Online calendars, require admin and user action. Microsoft Teams Rooms on Windows devices need an Edge/WebView2 update. Other Microsoft 365 workloads are being validated. For guidance and latest updates, refer to Canada 2026 time zone changes: Guidance for Microsoft products.
In cases where the monthly update cannot be received or installed before 1st of November, affected organizations with devices in Alberta are advised to use the following workaround. After November 1st, 2026, we suggest using the below fixed-offset alternatives only as temporary workarounds:
|
Affected area |
Existing choice before the transition |
Temporary choice after the transition |
|
Alberta |
(UTC-07:00) Mountain Time (US & Canada) (Mountain Standard Time) |
(UTC-06:00) Saskatchewan (Canada Central Standard Time) |
|
Yellowknife and Inuvik |
(UTC-07:00) Mountain Time (US & Canada) (Mountain Standard Time) |
(UTC-06:00) Saskatchewan (Canada Central Standard Time) |
|
Southeastern B.C. locations aligning with Alberta |
(UTC-07:00) Mountain Time (US & Canada) (Mountain Standard Time) |
(UTC-06:00) Saskatchewan (Canada Central Standard Time) |
- These alternatives provide the required UTC offset but have different names, geographic mappings, and historical rules. They should not be treated as permanent replacements.
- We recommend installing the Windows monthly update and move to the appropriate region-specific time zone as soon as possible.
Visit Interim guidance for Alberta time zone changes 2026 for an earlier announcement of this change.
For Microsoft's official policy on DST and time zone changes, please see Daylight saving time help and support. For information on how to update Windows to use the latest global time zone rules, see How to configure daylight saving time for Microsoft Windows operating systems.