Winter clock change on 26 October: will you turn back 60 minutes at 3am and gain an extra hour?

Your phone may switch on its own, but the oven clock will not. A small change is coming that can trip you up.

Every autumn the same riddle returns over breakfast. Do we push the hands forward or pull them back, and when exactly does it happen? Between self-correcting smartphones and faithful analogue dials, the seasonal switch still causes last-minute scrambles.

What happens in France and when

France moves to winter time on Sunday 26 October 2025. At 3:00 in the morning, the legal time shifts back to 2:00. That means a 60‑minute gain overnight and a slightly longer Sunday for early risers. The rule applies across mainland France. Most overseas territories keep their clocks as they are, with the notable exception of Saint‑Pierre‑et‑Miquelon, which follows a similar shift.

At 3:00 it becomes 2:00. You gain 60 minutes of night, and your morning looks brighter for a few weeks.

Since 2002, EU countries have coordinated their clock changes to limit cross-border chaos: the last Sunday of March for summer time, the last Sunday of October for winter time. A handy reminder still holds: in October, clocks go back.

Travelling or living outside mainland France

If you are flying late on Saturday or early on Sunday, check your ticket again. Airlines and rail operators publish times in local legal time, which will reflect the 3:00 to 2:00 rollback. Crossings to neighbours that share the EU schedule stay aligned at the switch. Journeys to overseas territories may involve a fresh time difference from Monday, as most do not change clocks.

Why Europe still changes clocks

The European Commission revived a shelved plan in 2025 to phase out seasonal clock changes proposed in 2019. The idea would allow each state to keep a permanent time all year. No final decision has been taken. National capitals would need to coordinate to avoid a patchwork of hour differences along busy borders.

Energy arguments have faded with modern technology and shifting habits. Efficient lighting, flexible work patterns and digital services reduce the original promise of big electricity savings. Health remains the live issue. Many people report a few days of unsettled sleep, sluggishness and lapses in concentration after a switch. Sleep specialists say most bodies adapt within several days, occasionally up to two weeks, depending on sensitivity and routine.

The seasonal change remains in place for 2025, even as Brussels reopens the debate on making one time permanent.

How to prepare without losing your Sunday

A little planning stops the time turn from derailing your plans. Sort the machines that do not update themselves, and give your body a small nudge in the days before the switch.

• Wind back manual clocks on Saturday night: kitchen timers, bedside alarms, wall clocks and watches.
• Check calendar invites. Confirm Monday meetings with people in other countries that may not switch at the same time.
• Shift bedtime by 10–15 minutes over several evenings to smooth the change.
• Move medication reminders with fixed dosing times, after checking with a pharmacist if precise timing matters.
• Adjust heating and hot water timers so they do not fire an hour earlier than needed.
• Parents: plan for children to wake slightly earlier at first; a calmer evening routine helps.
• Shift workers: verify your rota. Overnight staff often work an extra clock hour on the change night.
• Drivers: expect dusk an hour sooner by the clock; clean windscreens and check lights for the darker commute.

What updates itself, and what does not

Most smartphones, laptops, tablets and smartwatches switch automatically if the system time zone is set to Paris or a local French region. Car infotainment systems may lag or require confirmation. Oven clocks, microwaves, boilers, thermostats, older bedside alarms and some security systems usually need a manual change. If you use a smart speaker for alarms, double-check its time zone setting on Saturday.

Sleep, health and daily rhythm

Exposure to morning daylight helps reset your internal clock. Open the curtains early on Sunday and take a short walk if you can. Keep caffeine for the late morning rather than first thing. A heavier evening meal can make bedtime harder to manage during the transition. Short, regular routines stabilise your rhythm faster than a long lie‑in.

Children and teenagers often feel the switch more keenly. Nudge bedtimes gradually through the week, dim screens in the evening and keep wake‑up times steady. Older adults can benefit from consistent meals and gentle morning light. If your work demands precision, such as operating machinery, plan extra checks on Monday when attention may wobble.

Money and energy

Household bills rarely shift much because of the clock change itself. LEDs have cut lighting costs, while heating can become a bigger slice of consumption as evenings darken earlier by the clock. A careful thermostat schedule helps more than any hour shift. Use the change as a prompt to review timers, bleed radiators and seal draughts.

The broader picture: calendars, commutes and coordination

Because all EU members change on the same dates, trains, lorries and flights across the bloc keep a stable timetable framework. That reduces missed connections on the switch day. The coordination, introduced in 2002, remains one of the reasons the system endures while the policy debate continues.

Saint‑Pierre‑et‑Miquelon is the exception in the French overseas family that does move its clocks. Anyone with calls straddling mainland France and these islands should check the new offset on Monday. The same goes for colleagues in regions outside the EU that might move on different dates, creating a temporary mismatch of one hour for a week or two.

Practical scenarios so you do not get caught out

A night shift from 22:00 to 6:00 becomes a nine‑hour stint on the clock. Employers usually have agreements covering pay and rest on the change night. A Sunday runner heading out at 7:30 will see a brighter sky than last week; reflective kit still matters for the return journey. A Monday commuter should expect darker late afternoons and a sharper rush hour, so plan lights and routes accordingly.

If you rely on alarms, avoid stacking multiple ones by accident. An alarm set for 6:00 repeats at the new 6:00 after the change. A separate manual clock still ringing at the old time can cause a jolt at 5:00 new time. Remove duplicates or label them clearly on Saturday.

Think of the switch as a seasonal service: reset clocks, refresh routines, and recalibrate reminders before bed on Saturday.

For anyone managing long‑distance calls or broadcasts, create a one‑off Sunday calendar alert marking “3:00 becomes 2:00”. Add a second note for Monday morning to confirm all systems reflect the update. A two‑step check prevents silent slips in recording schedules, payroll exports and automated reports that run overnight.