Find Out When Windows Was Installed
Use the Win32_OperatingSystem InstallDate property in PowerShell to see the exact date and time Windows was installed on a PC.
01Command
$ (Get-CimInstance Win32_OperatingSystem).InstallDate02What it does
Buying a second-hand PC or auditing machines in an office often raises the question of when Windows was actually installed. The operating system records this automatically in the Win32_OperatingSystem WMI class as InstallDate, and PowerShell converts it to a readable local date and time. Note that a feature update to a new Windows version refreshes the folder, so the date can reflect the last major upgrade rather than the very first install.
03Risk
04Undo
✓No undo needed — this command does not change persistent state.
05Sources
- Get-CimInstance cmdlet | Microsoft LearnEvidence: Get-CimInstance retrieves WMI instances; Win32_OperatingSystem covers OS-level properties.
- Win32_OperatingSystem class | Microsoft LearnEvidence: Win32_OperatingSystem includes an InstallDate property with the date and time the operating system was installed.
Last verified: 2026-09-19 · Category: System & Settings
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