Fortinet – How to configure NTP on FortiGate

Accurate time synchronization is a foundational requirement for any network equipment as it ensures reliable logging, correct event correlation, and proper operation of security mechanisms.
FortiGate supports NTP configuration via GUI and CLI.
Below provides the basic commands for configuring the date, time and NTP on your Fortinet Firewall using CLI.

Configure NTP using FortiGuard NTP

config system ntp
    set ntpsync enable
    set type fortiguard
end

Configure NTP using custom NTP servers

config system ntp
    set ntpsync enable
    set type custom
    config ntpserver
    edit 1
        set server "0.pool.ntp.org"
    next
    edit 2
    set server "1.pool.ntp.org"
    next
    end
end

Set the Time/Date manually 

First , disable NTP before manual time set as FortiGate will override manual time if NTP is enabled.

config system ntp
    set ntpsync disable
end

Then, set the system time manually

execute time <YYYY-MM-DD> <HH:MM:SS>

Set the Timezone

If the timezone is wrong, logs will still be misleading.

List the existing timezone:

FWF-01 # get system timezone
== [ Mexico/BajaSur ]
name: Mexico/BajaSur
== [ Pacific/Guam ]
name: Pacific/Guam
== [ Pacific/Kwajalein ]

Set the right Timezone :

FWF-01 # config system timezone America/Los_Angeles

Confirm

FWF-01 # execute time
current time is: 13:26:24
last ntp sync:Tue Jan 13 13:18:39 2026

Reference

https://docs.fortinet.com/document/fortigate/6.4.0/hardening-your-fortigate/948443/set-system-time-by-synchronizing-with-an-ntp-server

Rick Donato
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