Use Client's Time Zone
This plugin retrieves the time zone of the client using “Automatic Timezone Detection Using JavaScript” (http://pellepim.bitbucket.org/jstz/) the first time that a client accesses the site, sets a cookie containing the…
Consider an alternative
Use Client's Time Zone shows warning signs in 2026 — compare the alternatives below before installing. It runs on 100+ sites, is rated 4.4/5 and was last updated 3 years ago, and scores 35/100 on our health check.
- Small user base (100+ active installs)
- No update in 3 years
- Only tested up to WordPress 6.3 (latest is 7.1)
Daily downloads
Download spikes usually follow a new release — each site that auto-updates counts as a download.
Rankings
Where Use Client's Time Zone stands todayWordPress.org search rankings
Live position in the plugin search, top 100| Keyword | Position |
|---|---|
| client's time zone | #7 |
| default time zone | >100 |
| time zone | >100 |
Version adoption
Share of active sites per release.
Rating breakdown
★★★★★★★★★★ 4.4 from 7 reviews
About Use Client's Time Zone
From the official readme · v1.1.5Description
This plugin retrieves the time zone of the client using “Automatic Timezone Detection Using JavaScript” (http://pellepim.bitbucket.org/jstz/) the first time that a client accesses the site, sets a cookie containing the client’s time zone on the client, and reloads the page. This cookie is then read by PHP and the date_default_timezone_set() function (requires PHP 5 >= 5.1.0) is used to set the default time zone for PHP scripts. Since it runs just after all of the plugins are loaded, it changes the time zone for all of the PHP that follows. It is useful in cases where one wants users to see certain posts on certain days. E.g., if the post slug contains the day number, like “xyz-daynr,” then the post can be specified by “$slug = ‘xyz’.date(j);” in a theme template. The cookie does not expire for ten years, but is reset if the user changes time zones. So, unless the user deletes cookies or moves the page reload only occurs once every ten years.
NOTE:
A remark was posted in our forum stating that sites may experience problems if changing timezones using date_default_timezone_set. WP expects it to always be UTC and display of things in different timezones are achieved in other ways:
https://vip.wordpress.com/documentation/vip-development-tips-tricks/use-current_time-not-date_default_timezone_set/
https://weston.ruter.net/2013/04/02/do-not-change-the-default-timezone-from-utc-in-wordpress/
The author has not observed any problems on the sites on which this plugin has been tested. Based on the foregoing post, however,it would be wise to check that no date-related operations are going awry after activating this plugin — even though no problems have been observed with the sites tested.
Copyright 2012-2023 M.D. Green, SaeSolved:: LLC
License
This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the
Free Software Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or (at your option) any later version.
This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY
or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU General Public License for more details.
Installation
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Extract the use-clients-timezone folder and place in the wp-content/plugins folder.
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Enable the plugin.
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Set the fallback time zone under Settings->Use Client’s Timezone. (The time zone to use if the script fails to get the client’s time zone.)
Frequently asked questions
Where can I see a working example of this plugin?
http://eveypeople.net/ — the number of days until Ramadan (or day in Ramadan). You can test this by changing the time on your computer to be in a time zone which is in a different day. E.g., if you live in New York, change the time zone on your computer to that of Sydney. You should see the number of days change. (Check a site like http://www.timeanddate.com/ to be sure to get a time zone which is in a different day than the one normally set on your computer.)
Changelog
Added code to avoid activating actual use of plugin, other than the settings in the admin screen, during site administration.
1.1.5
Code added to avoid activating actual use of plugin, other than the settings in the admin screen, during site administration.
1.1.4
Added advice to check that no dated-related operations were adversely impacted by this plugin.
1.1.3
Changed cookie path to be site-wide.
1.1.2
Changed JavaScript so that the page is not reloaded if cookies are not enabled on the client.
1.1
Method for obtaining client time zone changed from attempting to retrieve time zone of IP to setting a cookie containing the clients time zone, then reading that cookie.
1.0
Original release.
Screenshots
For developers
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FAQ
Use Client's Time Zone: quick answers
Straight answers, pulled from live WordPress.org data.
Live data from WordPress.org · checked Oct 13, 2026
Is Use Client's Time Zone free?
Yes. Use Client's Time Zone is free to download and use from the official WordPress.org plugin directory.
Is Use Client's Time Zone safe to use in 2026?
Use Client's Time Zone shows warning signs in 2026 — compare the alternatives below before installing. It runs on 100+ sites, is rated 4.4/5 and was last updated 3 years ago, and scores 35/100 on our health check.
How many websites use Use Client's Time Zone?
Use Client's Time Zone is active on 100+ WordPress websites and has been downloaded 10,706 times since it launched in September 2012. It was downloaded 125 times in the last 30 days.
Does Use Client's Time Zone work with WordPress 7.1?
Use Client's Time Zone is officially tested up to WordPress 6.3.13, while the latest release is 7.1.3. It may still work, but try it on a staging site first.
When was Use Client's Time Zone last updated?
The latest version, 1.1.5, was released on October 13, 2023 (3 years ago).
Who makes Use Client's Time Zone?
Use Client's Time Zone is developed and maintained by drmikegreen.
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