How to Know when Your Computer Was Last Used

Learn how to find recent PC activity, including when your computer was last turned on

Last Updated: February 11, 2022 Tested

Do you think someone has been sneaking on your computer? Are you just curious how often you log on? Find out how to see when your computer was accessed below.

Steps

1
If you just want the basics, Start > Run or press the Windows Key +R. Then type cmd and press Enter. That will bring up the Command Window. In the Command Window, type systeminfo and press Enter. After a few moments you'll see a list of information; scroll through it to find System Boot Time. Or, if you really want to dig into the gory details, do the following.
2
Go to Start > Run or press Window Keys + R. If you are running a version later than XP, you may need to type the following in smart search in the start menu.

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3
Type 'eventvwr.msc' and press Enter.
4
The Event Viewer should come up (if you are using Windows Vista and UAC pops up, choose Continue).
5
Open the System Log.
6
This is a log of everything that has happened recently on your computer with dates and times. You can use this data to find out when your computer was last used.

Community Q&A

Question

How do I delete events from Event Viewer?

Community Answer

On the right side under where it says "Action" you click "Clear Log" and it gives you the option to save and clear or to just clear the logs.
Question

How do I use my web cam to capture whoever logs in to my computer?

Community Answer

You can use a batch script to do that. Copy and paste this code: @echo off if not exist "C:\Login History" mkdir "C:\Login History" if not exist "C:\Login History\history.log" echo Login History>"C:\Login History\history.log" echo %userdomain%\%username% logged in at %date%%time%>>"c:\login history\history.log" Then, save it as C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\StartUp\anyname.bat To view who logged in, open C:\Login History\history.log
Question

Can I find out when my computer was turned on?

Community Answer

Yes, via the system log within the event viewer. It will show you the date and time of the events and you might be able to tell if there is something suspicious.

Warnings

Don't dig too deep if you don't know what you are doing.

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These instructions do not work with Windows XP.

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