Update Windows computers for Alberta Time

Alberta stays on UTC−6 all year from November 1, 2026. One built-in Lavawall script installs the Windows update that knows about the change and switches each Alberta computer to the right time zone.

A Lavawall® task guide: 4 steps across 3 console pages.

Why computers need this

Under Alberta's Official Time Act, the province did not turn its clocks back on November 1, 2026. Alberta Time is now UTC−6 all year, the same as Saskatchewan.

Windows computers set to (UTC-07:00) Mountain Time (US & Canada) still follow the old rule, so they fell back an hour on November 1 and now show the wrong time. Microsoft added a new time zone, (UTC-06:00) Mountain Time (Alberta), in its Windows updates, but installing the update does not move a computer to it unless Windows chooses its time zone automatically. On most business computers, someone has to switch it.

The Alberta time zone update (Alberta computers only) script in the Lavawall library does the whole job. It is safe to run on all of your computers: it only changes workstations that Lavawall places in Alberta and that are set to Mountain Time. No restart is needed, and each computer usually finishes within a minute or so.

What the script does on each computer

  • Windows 11: installs the cumulative update that carries the Alberta time zone if the computer does not have it yet, then switches to (UTC-06:00) Mountain Time (Alberta).
  • Windows 10 22H2 and Windows 10 LTSC 2021: installs Microsoft's update KB5126657 if Windows Update offers it, then switches to the Alberta zone. Windows 10 22H2 is offered the update only if the computer is enrolled in Extended Security Updates (ESU).
  • Computers that cannot get the update: Windows 10 without ESU, Windows 11 versions that no longer receive updates, or a computer whose Windows Update or WSUS server does not offer the update. The script moves these from Mountain Time to (UTC-06:00) Saskatchewan, which shows the same time, and reports STAND-IN APPLIED. Run the script again once the update is available, and it installs the update and moves the computer to the Alberta zone.
  • If the update fails: a failed download, a failed install or low disk space is reported as FAILED, and the time zone is left alone, because the computer can still get the update. Fix the cause and run the script again.
  • Left alone: servers, computers outside Alberta, computers whose location is unknown, and computers set to any time zone other than Mountain Time.

Before you start

  • Who can do this: Anyone who can run scripts in your console.
  • Plan: any Lavawall plan that includes remote support. See pricing.
  • Computers: Windows 11 and Windows 10 workstations. The script reads each computer's location from Lavawall, so you do not type a province or a time zone anywhere.
  • Where to start: open Run Script in your console.

Steps

  1. Open Run Script. From the side menu or the search bar

    Go to Devices › Automation › Run Script, or type Run Script in the search bar at the top of the console.

    Open Run Script in your console →

  2. Choose the Alberta script. Nothing to fill in
    1. Under Select Script, type Alberta and choose Alberta time zone update (Alberta computers only). It is marked Library script.
    2. There is nothing to fill in. The console supplies each computer's location when the script runs; if a region box is shown, leave it as it is.
    3. Leave Max Runtime at the default. Most computers finish within a minute or so.
    The Select Script card on the Run Script page with Alberta time zone update (Alberta computers only) chosen, its description, the Library script label, and the region parameter set to {{lw:CountryRegion}}.
    The script selected on the Run Script page. Each computer's location is filled in for you.
  3. Add your computers and run it. Whole companies are fine
    1. Under Target Companies, pick a company and click + Add. Repeat for every company you look after. You do not need to pick out the Alberta computers yourself.
    2. Leave When to run on Run immediately (or when device comes online). Computers that are off now run the script the next time they connect.
    3. Check the Summary, click Execute Script, and confirm.
  4. Check the results. Status/Results, then Show output

    Go to Automation › Status/Results and click Show output on a computer. Each computer says what it did: whether the update was already in place, whether it changed the time zone or was already on Alberta Time, or that it was skipped because it is not in Alberta, with the location Lavawall has for it. Run the script again on any computer that reports STAND-IN APPLIED or FAILED once the update is available or the problem is fixed.

    Script output: Status completed, exit code 0. Update already in place. Changed time zone from Mountain Standard Time to Alberta Standard Time.
    A finished Alberta computer: the update was already installed, and the time zone was switched.

    Open Script Execution Status in your console →

Three finished runs of Alberta time zone update (Alberta computers only) in Script Execution Status. First: Update already in place, Time zone already Alberta Standard Time. Second: Update already in place, Changed time zone from Mountain Standard Time to Alberta Standard Time. Third: SKIPPED, this computer is not located in Alberta (location: CA-BC).
Three computers, three results: already on Alberta Time, switched, and skipped because the computer is in British Columbia.

For a single computer

Open the computer's device details, click the Run Script box, type alb, and choose Alberta time zone update (Alberta computers only) under Library. Check the result the same way, in Status/Results.

The Run Script box on a computer's device details page, searched for alb, showing Alberta time zone update (Alberta computers only) under Library, Lavawall Library.
Running the script from one computer's device details.

Tips

  • The script skips any computer whose location is unknown. A computer's location is shown beside its name at the top of its device details page.
  • Most of the Northwest Territories now keeps the same time as Alberta, but the script only changes computers in Alberta. Set computers elsewhere that follow Alberta's clock to (UTC-06:00) Mountain Time (Alberta) by hand.
  • Changing a computer's time zone does not move meetings that are already booked. In Outlook, set the calendar's time zone to Mountain Time (Alberta) and check recurring meetings that run past November 1, 2026. Only a meeting's organizer can change it for everyone.
  • Phones, Macs and Linux computers get Alberta's new rules from their own updates. Keep them up to date.

When you are done

Every Windows computer that Lavawall places in Alberta shows Alberta Time, and computers outside Alberta are unchanged. Read more about the change in our article Alberta Time Started November 1: What to Fix on Your Computers.

Articles for the pages in this guide

  • Run Script: Run a script on every device in chosen companies, or on hand-picked devices, now, later or on a schedule. You can also send a desktop notification to users.
  • Script Execution Status: Follow every script you have sent to devices, read what it printed, and cancel or re-run jobs.
  • Device Detail: Everything Lavawall knows about one computer, with the tools to fix it, on a single page.

Still need help?

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