World clock with misaligned time zone and location pin
When Google shows times that don’t match your local time (events, “open now” hours, email timestamps, search results), it’s usually because your browser is sending mixed signals: location permission, stored cookies, or a VPN/proxy hinting another region.

Let’s line up those signals, browser by browser.

Before you start: confirm your device time zone is correct and set to automatic. If the device is wrong, every browser will look wrong.

Now focus on what’s different between Chrome, Safari, and Firefox.

1. Check your Google Account time zone (it can override the browser)

Some Google experiences rely on account settings, not just your browser.

  • Google Calendar: Open Calendar settings and confirm your primary time zone (and any “secondary time zone”) is correct.
  • Language/region signals: If your Google account has an old “home” region, it can influence defaults in some services.

If Calendar is right but Search results or “open now” info is wrong, it’s more likely a browser location/cookie issue.

2. Reset location permissions for Google (Chrome vs Safari vs Firefox)

Location permission toggle with pin and privacy shield
If Google can’t access location (or is using an old location), it may fall back to IP-based guessing, which is often wrong with VPNs, work networks, or mobile hotspots.

  • Chrome: Site settings for Location → ensure location is allowed for google.com (and any country domain you use), then reload the page.
  • Safari (macOS/iOS): Safari’s location permission is tightly tied to OS settings. Make sure Location Services are enabled for Safari (or “Websites” location access) in your device Privacy/Location settings, then re-open Safari.
  • Firefox: Firefox can remember a “blocked” decision. Clear the saved permission for google.com, then reload and choose Allow.

Tip: After changing location permission, fully reload the page (or close the tab and open a new one) so Google re-requests location.

3. Fix “stuck” time zone cookies and site data (target only Google)

Google can store region/time zone hints in cookies and site storage. If you moved, traveled, or used a VPN, that old state can linger.

  • Best practice: clear site data for google.com (and accounts.google.com) instead of wiping your entire browser.
  • Chrome: Clear cookies/site data for Google → restart Chrome → sign back in.
  • Safari: Website data can be stickier. Remove data for Google in Safari settings (or clear website data), then re-open Safari.
  • Firefox: Clear cookies/site data for Google, and check if “Delete cookies and site data when Firefox is closed” is enabled (it can cause repeated re-learning of location/time zone).

If the wrong time zone returns immediately after clearing, jump to the VPN/proxy and extension checks below.

4. Compare results in a private window (this isolates cache, cookies, and some extensions)

Open the same Google page in a private/incognito window.

  • If the time zone is correct in private mode, your normal profile likely has a cookie/extension/cache conflict.
  • If it’s wrong in private mode too, it’s more likely location permission, VPN/proxy, DNS, or device-level time zone.

Safari’s Private Browsing is often the quickest “is it stored data?” test because it uses a cleaner session by default.

5. Disable VPN/proxy (or split-tunnel Google) and retest

Globe with VPN tunnel icon and split routing arrows
Google may infer your time zone from IP region. That’s fine—until you’re on a corporate VPN, privacy VPN, iCloud Private Relay, or a proxy that exits in another country/state.

  • Temporarily turn off VPN/proxy and reload Google.
  • If you need the VPN: try split tunneling Google domains (so Google uses your real local connection) or choose a VPN exit node in your current region.
  • On Apple devices: if Private Relay is on, try turning it off briefly to test whether it’s the location mismatch.

If the time zone snaps into place when the VPN/proxy is off, you’ve found the cause.

6. Look for extensions that rewrite location, headers, or privacy settings

Some extensions change what websites see: location spoofers, ad blockers with aggressive privacy lists, anti-fingerprinting tools, or “timezone changer” add-ons.

  • Disable extensions one by one (or all at once), then reload.
  • Pay special attention to: location spoofing, user-agent switching, privacy hardening, cookie managers, and script blockers.
  • In Firefox, strict anti-fingerprinting settings can alter time zone and locale behaviors in ways sites interpret oddly.

Once you find the culprit, keep it enabled but add an exception for Google, or adjust only the feature that affects location/time zone.

7. Chrome/Safari/Firefox “difference-makers” that commonly cause time mismatches

These are the browser-specific gotchas that make this problem feel inconsistent.

  • Chrome profiles: A work profile may enforce policies (proxy, DNS, cookies) that a personal profile doesn’t. Test with a new Chrome profile if needed.
  • Safari + OS privacy: Safari depends heavily on system Location Services. If Safari is denied at the OS level, website toggles inside Safari won’t fully fix it.
  • Firefox privacy modes: Enhanced Tracking Protection or Resist Fingerprinting-style settings can change how sites read locale/timezone cues. Try Standard mode temporarily for testing.

If only one browser is wrong, it’s almost always one of these settings layers.

Final thoughts

When Google shows the wrong time zone, think “signals”: device time zone, browser location permission, stored Google site data, and your network location (VPN/proxy).

Testing in a private window, then correcting location permission and clearing only Google site data, usually fixes it without nuking your whole browser setup.