How to check your computer uptime on Windows 10

How-to
By Mauro Huculak
published

Do you need to know your PC's uptime? In this guide, we show you four ways to check on Windows 10.

Windows 10 check uptime
Windows 10 check uptime (Image credit: Future)
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On Windows 10, understanding how long a device has been up and running can be useful information in many scenarios. For example, when troubleshooting problems, you may want to know if a reboot was recently applied or if your computer is acting up while working on an important project, and you suspect a restart is required.

Whatever the reason, Windows 10 doesn't make it obvious to see your system uptime, but it's not impossible to find either, as you can deduce this information using Task Manager, Control Panel, Command Prompt, and PowerShell.

This guide will walk you through four simple ways to check your device uptime without scripts or restarting.

How to check PC uptime using Task Manager

The easiest way to check your device uptime is using Task Manager with these steps:

  1. Open Start.
  2. Search for Task Manager and click the top result to open the experience.
  • Quick tip: You can also open Task Manager using the "Ctrl + Shift + Esc" keyboard shortcut or by right-clicking the taskbar and selecting Task Manager from the menu.
  1. Click the More details button (if you're using the compact view).
  2. Click the Performance tab.
  3. Select the CPU section.

(Image credit: Future)

Once you complete the steps, you'll see your device uptime on the right, at the bottom of the page.

How to check PC uptime using Control Panel

Another easy way to determine your system uptime is to check your network adapter status with these steps:

  1. Open Start.
  2. Search for Control Panel and click the top result to open the experience.
  3. Click on Network and Internet.
  4. Click on Network and Sharing Center.

(Image credit: Future)
  1. Click the "Change adapter settings" option in the left pane.

(Image credit: Future)
  1. Double-click the network adapter connected to the internet.

(Image credit: Future)

After completing the steps, you can deduce your computer uptime using the "Duration" information, which indicates the uptime from the network connection that resets every time the device starts. However, this method work as long as you didn't reset your network connection since the last time you booted the device.

How to check PC uptime using Command Prompt

If you want to use Command Prompt to check your device uptime, you have at least two ways to do it.

WMIC method

To check the device uptime with Command Prompt on Windows 10, use these steps:

  1. Open Start.
  2. Search for Command Prompt, right-click the top result and click the Run as administrator option.
  3. Type the following command to query the device's last boot time and press Enter: wmic path Win32_OperatingSystem get LastBootUpTime

(Image credit: Future)

Once you complete the steps, you'll notice an output may look intimidating, but it's not difficult to decode so you can understand your device's uptime.

For example, the LastBootUpTime 20220919073744.500000-240 can be broken down using the info below.

  • Year: 2022.
  • Month: 09.
  • Day: 19.
  • Hour: 07.
  • Minutes: 37.
  • Seconds: 44.
  • Milliseconds: 500000.
  • GMT: -300 (5 hours ahead of GMT).

This means that the computer has been up and running since September 19, 2022, at 07:37 AM. If you want to be more specific, subtract the last boot time from the current time to deduce the number of days, hours, and minutes the device has been in operation.

System Information method

You can also see your system uptime in a more user-friendly format using the System Information tool with these steps:

  1. Open Start.
  2. Search for Command Prompt, right-click the top result and click the Run as administrator option.
  3. Type the following command to query the device's last boot time and press Enter: systeminfo | find "System Boot Time"

(Image credit: Future)

The System Information tool can quickly show the last time your system rebooted in an easy-to-read format. Also, 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.

How to check PC uptime using PowerShell

It's also possible to check your device uptime using PowerShell with these steps:

  1. Open Start.
  2. Search for Command Prompt, right-click the top result and click the Run as administrator option.
  3. Type the following command to query the device uptime and press Enter: (get-date) - (gcim Win32_OperatingSystem).LastBootUpTime

(Image credit: Future)

After completing the steps, you'll get the uptime information in a list format with the days, hours, and minutes.

This guide outlines several ways to check your device uptime, but it's important to note that there are many other methods to find the same information using Command Prompt and PowerShell scripts. However, these are the most straightforward methods.

In addition, while these instructions are focused on Windows 10, these methods have been around for a long time, which means they'll also work on Windows 8.1 and 7.

More resources

For more helpful articles, coverage, and answers to common questions about Windows 10 and Windows 11, visit the following resources:

Mauro Huculak
Mauro Huculak

Mauro Huculak is technical writer for WindowsCentral.com. His primary focus is to write comprehensive how-tos to help users get the most out of Windows 10 and its many related technologies. He has an IT background with professional certifications from Microsoft, Cisco, and CompTIA, and he's a recognized member of the Microsoft MVP community.