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How to Check Your Mac’s Uptime, Reboot and Shutdown History
Curious to find out how often your Mac has been rebooted or shut down? Or how long it has been running without a reboot? Checking your Mac’s uptime, reboot, and shutdown history can provide valuable insights into its performance and usage. And your Mac allows you to do just that! This article will guide you on how to check your Mac’s uptime, reboot, and shutdown history.
Having a detailed record of your Mac’s activity can help you understand its usage patterns, optimize performance, and make informed decisions about device usage and care. Now, let’s start with the article.
Note: We are using macOS Ventura 13.0.1. The methods and steps mentioned in the article may vary depending on your macOS version.
2 Ways to See Your Mac’s Uptime History
To find your Mac’s uptime, you can use either Mac’s System Information or Terminal. These methods are simple and easy to follow. Here’s how you can do it:
Method 1: Check Uptime on Mac Using System Information
System Information is a common and easy way to find your Mac’s uptime. Follow these steps:
– Step 1: Hold the Option key and click the Apple icon at the top-left corner of your screen.
Alternatively, click the Apple icon, select ‘About This Mac,’ click the More Info button, and under About, scroll down and click System Report.
Step 2: From the drop-down menu, select System Information.
Step 3: In the left pane, click on Software.
In the right pane, under System software overview, you can see the ‘Time since boot.’
Time since boot indicates the last time your Mac was booted, providing the uptime of your Mac. Another way to check Mac’s uptime is by using Terminal. Continue reading.
Method 2: How to See Mac’s Uptime Using Terminal
Finding Mac’s uptime using Terminal is simple. The involvement of the Terminal may make the steps look complicated, but it is not. Let’s show you.
Step 1: Press ‘Command + Space bar’ on your keyboard to open Spotlight Search, type Terminal, and press Return.
Note: If the step seems confusing, there are different ways to open the Terminal on Mac.
Step 2: Type the command below and press Return.
“`
uptime
“`
The command above shows your Mac’s last reboot, days and minutes since the reboot, number of users, and load averages.
Note: Macs typically have 2 users: your user account and a root macOS account necessary for the system to operate.
It is easy to follow. If you want more than just uptime, you can also view your Mac’s reboot history. Continue reading.
How to Check Mac’s Reboot History Using Terminal
Knowing your Mac’s reboot history can help you troubleshoot and monitor performance. This method involves using the Terminal app. The steps are easy to understand.
Step 1: Press ‘Command + Space bar’ to open Spotlight Search, type Terminal, and press Return.
Step 2: Type the command below and press Return.
last reboot
The command above shows all the reboots with the date and time. Knowing your Mac’s reboot history, you may also want to know its shutdown history. Continue reading.
How to See Shutdown History on Mac Using Terminal
The steps are easy to follow. If you have followed the above method, this method is just an extended version. Follow the steps below. Step 1 : Press ‘Command + Space bar’ on your keyboard to open Spotlight Search, type Terminal, and press Return.
Step 2: Type the command below and press Return.
last shutdown
This command will list the shutdowns made by the user and the system due to errors, with the date and time. If you have any queries, check the FAQ section below.
FAQs on Checking Mac’s Uptime and Other Details
1. There are several potential reasons why your Mac may have rebooted itself. This includes installing a software update, losing power unexpectedly, or restarting due to a system crash or software failure.
2. No, rebooting your Mac will not delete any files. It simply restarts the operating system, closing all open programs and rebooting system processes.
3. Rebooting your Mac in Safe Mode allows for troubleshooting and resolving issues by isolating software conflicts or startup issues.
Rebooting your Mac in Safe Mode starts the operating system with only essential processes and drivers. It helps identify if a program or process is causing issues, making it useful for troubleshooting problems on your Mac.
Know Your Mac Better
Knowing your Mac’s uptime, reboot, and shutdown history allows you to identify usage patterns and track your Mac’s activity. Consider using screen time on Mac to optimize your productivity.
As Fred Humiston, the author behind Twothirds.us, I focus on providing practical and easy-to-follow guides and solutions for a variety of technical issues that people commonly face.
My articles cover a wide range of topics, from troubleshooting out-of-sync audio on TikTok and managing Firestick devices, to understanding the impact of Capcut on video quality and resolving sound issues on Hisense Roku TVs.
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