User Timezone Preference Resets to Default Upon Logout

Last Reviewed:2026-07-24()
2 minute readKnowledge base

Issue

Users attempting to change their timezone setting on a Controller find that the setting is not saved permanently. The timezone reverts to "Default" when the user logs out and logs back in, or when the browser tab is closed and reopened.

Reproduction Steps:

  1. Hover over the user icon in the upper right and click on Preferences.

  2. Set the Time Zone setting to a value other than "Default".

  3. Click Save. The new timezone applies during the current session.

  4. Log out and log back in (or close and reopen the browser tab). The timezone reverts to "Default".

Environment

Explanation

When Operations Center Single Sign-On (SSO) is configured, user properties are synchronized with the operations center by default. This synchronization applies to user properties such as name, description, API tokens, and user preferences (including timezones).

This synchronization occurs when the controller queries the full user details from the security realm during an SSO login. As a result, local changes made directly on the Controller are overwritten by the operations center record during the next login sync.

For more details on SSO user synchronization, see Use single sign-on (SSO) in the operations center

Resolution

Depending on where the timezone change should apply, use one of the following methods.

Apply Timezone Globally (Recommended)

To apply the timezone change across both the operations center and the Controller, the user must update their preferences at the operations center level.

  1. Log in directly to the operations center.

  2. Navigate to User > Preferences.

  3. Set the desired timezone.

  4. Note: To force this synchronization to take effect on the Controller, the user must log out of the controller and log back in.

Apply Timezone to the Controller Only

To apply the timezone change to the Controller without affecting the operations center user synchronization must be disabled for that specific user on the controller.

  1. Log in to the Controller.

  2. Navigate to User > Account.

  3. Locate the Synchronize with operations center cluster section.

  4. Uncheck the Synchronize details on login option. NOTE: If this checkbox is not visible, it may be restricted by your security realm configuration. Please contact your CloudBees administrator.

  5. Navigate to User > Preferences and set the desired timezone.

Important Notes Regarding Synchronization

  • Synchronized properties (including personal API tokens) should ideally only be modified in the operations center to avoid data loss.

  • Certain properties, such as "My Views", are excluded from synchronization because views are specific to the controller.

  • For automated tasks where synchronization might cause issues, consider using dedicated service accounts instead of standard user accounts.

Tested product/plugin versions

  • CloudBees CI version 2.555.1.36488

This article is part of our Knowledge Base and is provided for guidance-based purposes only. The solutions or workarounds described here are not officially supported by CloudBees and may not be applicable in all environments. Use at your own discretion, and test changes in a safe environment before applying them to production systems.