Uptime is how long your Windows 10 PC has been running since it last started. It is a useful number when troubleshooting: if your PC has been up for weeks, a simple restart may fix slowness, memory leaks or pending updates. Windows shows uptime in several places, from Task Manager to a one-line command. This guide covers each method and explains why the number may be higher than you expect.
Quick answer
Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager, click the Performance tab, and select CPU. The Up time value at the bottom shows days, hours, minutes and seconds since the PC started.
Why check uptime?
- Troubleshooting: many slowdowns, audio glitches and network problems go away after a restart. Uptime tells you whether one is overdue.
- Updates: some updates only finish installing after a restart, so a long uptime can mean updates are waiting.
- Unexpected restarts: a very short uptime when you did not restart may point to a crash, a power cut or an automatic update restart.
- IT support: help desks often ask for uptime before suggesting other fixes.
Method 1: Task Manager
- Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc, or right-click the taskbar and choose Task Manager. See how to open Task Manager on Windows 10 for other ways.
- If you see a small window, click More details.
- Click the Performance tab.
- Select CPU on the left.
- Look for Up time near the bottom, in the format days:hours:minutes:seconds.
Method 2: Command Prompt
- Click Start, type cmd, and open Command Prompt.
- Type systeminfo | find “System Boot Time” and press Enter.
Windows shows the date and time the system last started. Subtract that from the current time to get uptime. You can also run net statistics workstation and look at the “Statistics since” line, which shows roughly when the system started.
Method 3: PowerShell
- Right-click Start and choose Windows PowerShell.
- Run (Get-Date) – (Get-CimInstance Win32_OperatingSystem).LastBootUpTime.
PowerShell returns the uptime split into days, hours, minutes and seconds. To see just the last boot time, run (Get-CimInstance Win32_OperatingSystem).LastBootUpTime.
Method 4: Event Viewer
Event Viewer shows a history of startups and shutdowns, which helps if you want to know when the PC was last restarted or whether it shut down unexpectedly.
- Open Event Viewer (see how to open Windows Event Viewer).
- Go to Windows Logs > System.
- Click Filter Current Log on the right and enter event IDs 6005, 6006, 6013.
Event 6005 marks the event log starting (a boot), 6006 a clean shutdown, and 6013 reports the system uptime in seconds once a day.
Why is my uptime so long when I shut down every night?
Windows 10 uses Fast Startup by default. When you choose Shut down, Windows saves the system state to disk instead of fully closing, so the uptime counter keeps running. Only a Restart fully resets it. To get a true fresh start each time you shut down, see how to turn off Fast Startup in Windows 10. Alternatively, hold Shift while clicking Shut down for a full shutdown once.
What is a normal uptime?
There is no rule, but if your PC has been up for more than a week or two and is feeling slow, a restart is a good first troubleshooting step. Restarting clears memory, ends stuck background processes and finishes installing updates. Windows Update will also prompt you to restart regularly.
Uptime vs. network connection time
The Duration shown in a network adapter’s status window (Control Panel > Network and Sharing Center) is how long the current network connection has been up, not system uptime. It resets whenever Wi-Fi reconnects. Neither number shows how long someone sat at the screen; for that, see how to check screen time on Windows 10.
Frequently asked questions
Does sleep reset uptime?
No. Sleep and hibernate pause the PC but do not restart Windows, so uptime continues counting from the last full boot.
Does uptime reset after Windows updates?
Yes, if the update required a restart. Most monthly updates restart the PC, so uptime usually starts again from zero after Patch Tuesday updates are installed.
Can I check uptime on Windows 11?
Yes. Every method here works the same way on Windows 11. Windows 10 reached end of support on October 14, 2025, so consider upgrading if your PC supports it.
Summary
- Task Manager > Performance > CPU shows Up time.
- systeminfo in Command Prompt shows the last boot time.
- PowerShell can calculate uptime directly.
- Event Viewer shows startup and shutdown history.
- Fast Startup keeps uptime running through shutdowns; use Restart to reset it.
Kermit Matthews runs Live2Tech from just outside Philadelphia. He started on a university help desk, spent years as the IT person for small businesses, and has been writing tech guides full time since 2020. Each guide is checked on a device he owns, and re-checked when a menu moves. More about Kermit.