Learn How to Effortlessly Check System Uptime in Windows and Mac

Are you unsure about the duration of your PC/laptop usage? Fear not, for there exists a method to determine this known as “uptime.” Uptime refers to the duration during which your computer has remained functional since its last boot or restart.

This information proves valuable, particularly for system administrators or network technicians seeking to troubleshoot issues by identifying the most recent reboot time of the system.

Now, let us present to you a comprehensive compilation of techniques to verify the uptime on both Windows and Mac operating systems.

How to Check System Uptime on Windows

From using task manager or Powershell to even checking the network settings, all the possible methods have been included here. You can go through the methods in any order but they have been sorted according to the ease of use and convenience.

Using Task Manager

This method is the most convenient to find the uptime as you do not need to write any commands.

Here’re the steps you need to follow:

1. Go to Task Manager.
2. Click on the Performance tab and go to the CPU section on the left.
3. Scroll downwards and you can see the uptime.

Using Powershell

You can also check system uptime by entering a command in Powershell.

1. Press Win + R, and type powershell.
2. Type the following command:
   (get-date) – (gcim Win32_OperatingSystem).LastBootUpTime
3. Now, you can view a list of system uptime details mentioned in days, hours, minutes, seconds and even milliseconds.

Using Command Prompt

There are multiple ways to get system uptime using command prompt. The most common methods are mentioned here.

Using systeminfo Command

1. Press Win + R and type cmd.
2. Press Enter.
3. Type the following command:
   systeminfo | find "System Boot Time"
4. You can view the date and time of your last system boot.
5. Alternatively, you can also type net statistics workstation.

Using WMIC Command

1. Press Win + R and type cmd.
2. Press Enter.
3. Type the following command:
   wmic path Win32_OperatingSystem get LastBootUpTime
4. You can view the last boot time in terms of YY-MM-DD-HH-MM-SS-MS-GMT format.

Here,
YY=Year
MM=Month
DD=Days
HH=Hours
MM=Minutes
SS=Seconds
MS=Milliseconds

How to Check System Uptime on Mac

For Windows, the methods mentioned above will do the job. However, you need to apply different methods to view system uptime on Mac. From using system information to terminal, you can go through these fixes as mentioned below.

Using System Information

Here’s how you can check your system uptime using the system information:

1. Click the Apple icon at the top-left of the screen.
2. Select the About this Mac option.
3. Click on System Report.
4. On the left pane, click on Software.
5. On the right side next to the Time since boot field you can find system uptime.

Using Terminal

You can also use the Terminal app to view your uptime on Mac.

1. Click on Finder
2. Navigate to Applications > Utilities folder.
3. Open Terminal app and type the command, uptime.
4. Just next to up, you can see your Mac uptime.

Why Does Uptime Not Reset Even After a Shutdown?

If you have enabled a fast startup, the shutdown works very differently than how we assume it to normally work. It goes to the hibernation mode and cache the important file for the faster startup.

In fact, the computer may not shut down after all even if you have done the proper shutdown procedure. Therefore, unless you are not restarting the system, the uptime will continue from the last session. However, if you restart your system, the uptime counter will reset to zero.

Also, by default, fast startup is enabled on Windows 10. This may lead to inaccurate uptime details. You can disable the fast startup and see if the uptime counter resets on the next startup.

Here’s how you can disable fast startup:

1. Press Win key + R and type control panel.
2. Navigate to Hardware and Sound > Power options.
3. Select Choose what the power button does.
4. Under the Shutdown settings section, uncheck the Turn on fast startup option.
5. Click on Save changes and exit the window.

Now, Shut down the computer and login again to check if the uptime counter is reset.