How to view Windows computer uptime

Do you know how long you have been using your computer since you turned it on? To know the time you have turned on your computer or exactly how long you have been using your computer, Windows has a tool to check how long you have been using your computer since it started. Then you can control the time you use your computer, especially if you have children, in addition to scheduling a shutdown of your Windows computer . The system will calculate the exact time you have been using your computer since you turned it on. The following article will guide you on how to check your computer's uptime.

Method 1: View computer uptime using Task Manager

Step 1:

We right-click on the Taskbar and select Task Manager in the displayed list.

Step 2:

Switch to the new interface, we click on the Performance tab . Next, you look down at the new interface under the Up Time section to know how long the computer has been running. On Windows 7 and Windows 8, we also open Task Manager to see how long the computer has been running in the Up Time section.

Method 2: View computer usage time via PowerShell

We enter the keyword powershell in the search bar, then right-click on the search result and select open as Admin .

Now enter the command into the interface and press Enter.

((get-date) - (gcim Win32_OperatingSystem).LastBootUptime).ToString('g')

The results also show how long we use the computer.

Method 3: Check with Command Prompt

Using System Information

Press the Windows + R key combination and type cmd to open the Command Prompt interface . Then in the interface we enter the command as below and press Enter to execute the command.

systeminfo | find /i "Boot Time"

The result now displays the time your computer was last turned on, including date, month, year, hour, minute, and second.

Using the System Information tool , you can quickly find out information about the last time your system rebooted in an easy-to-read format. Additionally, like the wmic command, you can subtract the last boot time from the current time to determine the number of days, hours, and minutes the device has been running.

Using WMIC

To check your computer's uptime using Command Prompt, follow these steps:

1. Open Start.

2. Search for Command Prompt , right-click on the top result and select Run as administrator option to open Command Prompt with admin rights .

3. Type the following command to query the device's last boot time and press Enter :

wmic path Win32_OperatingSystem get LastBootUpTime

After completing these steps, you will notice a result that may look scary, but it is not difficult to “decode” this information and help you know the operating time of the device.

For example: LastBootUpTime 20210507112440.816935+420 can be broken down using the information below.

• Year: 2021
• Month: 05
• Date: 07
• Time: 11
• Minutes: 24
• Seconds: 40
• Milliseconds: 816935
• GMT: +420 (GMT +7)

This means that the computer has been up and running since May 7, 2021, at 11:24 a.m. If you want to be more specific, you can simply subtract the last boot time from the current time to deduce the number of days, hours, and minutes the device has been running.

Method 4: Check with Control Panel

Another easy way to determine system uptime is to check the network adapter status using the following steps:

1. Open Start .

2. Search for Control Panel and click the top result to open the tool.

3. Click Network and Sharing Center .

4. Click on Change adapter settings option on the left panel.

5. Double-click the network adapter that is connected to the Internet.

Once you've completed the steps, you can deduce your computer's uptime using the "Duration" information , which indicates the uptime from the network connection, resetting each time the device boots. (Of course, these methods work as long as you haven't reset your network connection since the last time you booted the device.)

Method 5: Check uptime using Settings

Get a detailed report of your PC's battery usage through the Settings app. You'll be able to check screen-on time, screen-off time, and sleep time.

1. Click the Start menu at the bottom of your screen and select the Settings icon.

2. Click “Power & battery“ under the System tab if you are using Windows 11. You will find a similar option on some versions of Windows 10 under “Settings > System > Battery” .

3. In the section titled “Battery” , click on the “Battery Usage” option .

4. Click on the drop-down box above the "Battery levels" graph and select the "Last 7 days" option .

5. By default, you will see the daily average of “Screen on/off” time and “Sleep” time below the graph.

6. By clicking on any day shown on the chart, you can view the “Screen on/off” time and “Sleep” time for that particular day.

Method 6: Check uptime using the network settings menu

You can also check your device usage time by accessing the Network Connection menu on your Windows computer.

1. Launch Control Panel on your Windows computer.

2. Click View Network status and tasks under the Network and Internet heading .

3. Under the View your active networks heading , click the WiFi link, followed by the name of your Internet network.

4. Find the value of the Duration field to check the screen usage time since the last boot.

Method 7: Check the uptime on your child's device

If you want to know how much time your child (or other account) spends on the computer, set up a Microsoft Family Safety account, then invite other accounts you want to monitor.

Easily see screen time by clicking on your child's name or the name of someone in a group. You can also limit their screen time from the Family Safety page.

Method 8: Check uptime via third-party app

All of the methods listed above will help you track the approximate amount of screen time you spend on your computer. However, if you need to calculate the exact amount of time you spend working for a specific purpose, you will need to use third-party time tracking software.

Clockify is a free web-based tool for Windows that helps you track your hours on projects. You'll have to remember to start the timer when you start a work session and stop it when you take a break or end the day.

If that's not what you need, check out other time tracking app alternatives, such as Harvest , Hubstaff , and Timely .

See also:

• The fastest and simplest way to schedule computer shutdown
• Instructions to enable/disable Hibernate mode on Windows 10