How to Find out How Long Your Computer Has Been On

For Windows, click “CPU” under the Task Manager “Performance” tab and find “Up Time” to find out how long it’s been on. For Mac, click “About This Mac,” “System Report,” then “Software,” and find “Time since boot.” On Linux, open the terminal, type “uptime -p,” and hit enter.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Windows

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1
Open the Task Manager. You can do this in a few different ways:
- Right-click the taskbar and choose Task Manager.
- Press Esc while you hold down ⇧ Shift+Ctrl.
- Press Del while you hold down Alt+Ctrl, then click Task Manager.
- Type "task manager" into the Start search bar, then click the Task Manager app at the top of the results.
On Windows 10, it's at the top of the Task Manager window. If you're on Windows 11, the Performance tab is the second one on the left, with an icon of a line graph.^{[1]
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3
Click the CPU tab. You'll find this option on the left side of the Task Manager window. It should be the default tab when you enter the Performance tab.
- If you're using Windows 7 or earlier, skip this step.
You'll see this in the bottom half of the Task Manager window.^{[2]
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5
Look at the number by the "Up Time" heading. This number, which will appear in DD:HH:MM:SS format, dictates the amount of time for which your computer has been on since you last turned it off.
- For example, an Up Time value of "01:16:23:21" would mean your computer has been on for one day, sixteen hours, twenty-three minutes, and twenty-one seconds without shutting down.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

macOS

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It's on the top-left corner of the screen. Doing so will display a drop-down menu.
On older versions of macOS, this may say System Preferences.
General will be found in the left-hand sidebar.^{[3]
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You'll see this on the left side of the "About This Mac" window.
It's on the left side of window. Clicking this heading will open the "Software" overview in the main window here.
This option is near the bottom of the list of information in the middle of the page. The number to the right of this heading determines how long your Mac has been on since its last shut-down.^{[4]
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Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Linux

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1
Open the Terminal. You'll usually find the Terminal in the application menu of your distribution.^{[5]
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Research source} If you are using GNOME, press ⊞ Win and type Terminal to find it.
2
Type uptime -p and press Enter. This will output your PCs uptime.^{[6]
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Expert Q&A

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Question

How long can a computer run continuously?

Luigi Oppido
Computer & Tech Specialist
Luigi Oppido is the Owner and Operator of Pleasure Point Computers in Santa Cruz, California. Luigi has over 25 years of experience in general computer repair, data recovery, virus removal, and upgrades. He is also the host of the Computer Man Show! broadcasted on KSQD covering central California for over two years.

Luigi Oppido

Computer & Tech Specialist

Expert Answer

As long as you have your computer plugged into a surge suppressor or a battery backup, you can really leave it running as long as you want, especially if you're running it on clean power. Then, you can just restart once a week or whenever you need to install an update.

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