Previous: The date/time prompt, Up: Creating timestamps

#### 8.2.2 Custom time format

Org-mode uses the standard ISO notation for dates and times as it is defined in ISO 8601. If you cannot get used to this and require another representation of date and time to keep you happy, you can get it by customizing the variables `org-display-custom-times` and `org-time-stamp-custom-formats`.

`C-c C-x C-t (``org-toggle-time-stamp-overlays``)`
  Toggle the display of custom formats for dates and times.

Org-mode needs the default format for scanning, so the custom date/time format does not replace the default format—instead it is put over the default format using text properties. This has the following consequences:

- You cannot place the cursor onto a timestamp anymore, only before or after.
- The `S-<up>/<down>` keys can no longer be used to adjust each component of a timestamp. If the cursor is at the beginning of the stamp, `S-<up>/<down>` will change the stamp by one day, just like `S-<left>/<right>`. At the end of the stamp, the time will be changed by one minute.
- If the timestamp contains a range of clock times or a repeater, these will not be overlaid, but remain in the buffer as they were.
- When you delete a timestamp character-by-character, it will only disappear from the buffer after all (invisible) characters belonging to the ISO timestamp have been removed.
- If the custom timestamp format is longer than the default and you are using dates in tables, table alignment will be messed up. If the custom format is shorter, things do work as expected.