How to Check When Your Computer Was Turned On or Off in Windows

Sometimes you may need to know when your computer was turned on or off. This can be useful for monitoring system usage, troubleshooting issues, or keeping track of access. In Windows, there are several ways to find this information. In this guide, we'll cover the most effective methods.

Method 1: Using Event Viewer

The simplest and most accessible way to check when your computer was turned on or off is by using the Windows Event Viewer. Here's how you can do it:

  1. Press Win + R, type eventvwr.msc, and hit Enter.
  2. In the Event Viewer window, navigate to Windows Logs → System.
  3. Look for events with IDs 6005 (system startup) and 6006 (system shutdown).

Event ID 6005 signifies "Event Log service started," which indicates the system startup time. Event ID 6006 marks the system shutdown time.

Method 2: Using Command Prompt or PowerShell

If you prefer using the command line, you can retrieve information about system start and shutdown using the wevtutil command. Here's an example:

wevtutil qe System /q:"*[System[(EventID=6005 or EventID=6006)]]" /f:text

This command displays a list of events showing the system startup and shutdown times. You can also use PowerShell:

Get-EventLog -LogName System | Where-Object {$_.EventID -eq 6005 -or $_.EventID -eq 6006}

These commands provide a quick way to view the system's operation history.

Method 3: Using the Reliability Monitor

The Windows Reliability Monitor also logs information about system startups and shutdowns:

  1. Press Win + R, type perfmon /rel, and hit Enter.
  2. In the Reliability Monitor window, you will see a stability chart with all system errors and events, including startup and shutdown records.

This method is convenient for a quick overview if you don't need detailed data.

Method 4: Checking Session Logs

You can also use Windows session logs to track login and logout times:

  1. Open Event Viewer and go to Windows Logs → Security.
  2. Look for events with IDs 4624 (login) and 4634 (logout).

These events provide information about the start and end of user sessions, which can help you monitor computer usage.