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Get File Modified Time

Zero-dependency Python snippets for getting file modification times using the standard library.

4 snippets available in this sub-category.

Simple

Get file modification time

file time modification timestamp os

Get file modification time as Unix timestamp

import os

mtime = os.path.getmtime("file.txt")
print(f"Modified: {mtime}")

Notes

  • Returns Unix timestamp (seconds since epoch)
  • Raises OSError if file doesn't exist
  • Useful for file comparison

Get file modification time safely

file time modification error-handling os

Get file modification time with error handling

import os

try:
    mtime = os.path.getmtime("file.txt")
    print(f"Modified: {mtime}")
except FileNotFoundError:
    print("File does not exist")

Notes

  • Handles case where file doesn't exist
  • Provides clear error message
  • Safe for scripts

Complex

Get file modification time as datetime

file time modification datetime formatting os

Get file modification time as datetime object with formatting

import os
from datetime import datetime


def get_file_modified_datetime(filename):
    """Get file modification time as datetime object."""
    if not os.path.exists(filename):
        return None

    mtime = os.path.getmtime(filename)
    return datetime.fromtimestamp(mtime)


mtime_dt = get_file_modified_datetime("file.txt")
if mtime_dt:
    print(f"Modified: {mtime_dt}")
    print(f"Date: {mtime_dt.strftime('%Y-%m-%d')}")
    print(f"Time: {mtime_dt.strftime('%H:%M:%S')}")

Notes

  • Converts timestamp to datetime object
  • Allows easy date/time formatting
  • Returns None if file doesn't exist
  • Useful for human-readable output

Get file age in human readable format

file time age human-readable datetime os

Get file age in human readable format (days, hours, minutes ago)

import os
from datetime import datetime


def get_file_age(filename):
    """Get file age in human readable format."""
    if not os.path.exists(filename):
        return "File does not exist"

    mtime = os.path.getmtime(filename)
    file_time = datetime.fromtimestamp(mtime)
    now = datetime.now()
    age = now - file_time

    # Convert to appropriate unit
    if age.days > 365:
        years = age.days // 365
        return f"{years} year{'s' if years != 1 else ''} ago"
    elif age.days > 30:
        months = age.days // 30
        return f"{months} month{'s' if months != 1 else ''} ago"
    elif age.days > 0:
        return f"{age.days} day{'s' if age.days != 1 else ''} ago"
    elif age.seconds > 3600:
        hours = age.seconds // 3600
        return f"{hours} hour{'s' if hours != 1 else ''} ago"
    elif age.seconds > 60:
        minutes = age.seconds // 60
        return f"{minutes} minute{'s' if minutes != 1 else ''} ago"
    else:
        return "Just now"


age = get_file_age("file.txt")
print(f"File age: {age}")

Notes

  • Shows relative time since modification
  • Automatically chooses appropriate unit
  • Handles plural forms correctly
  • Useful for file management interfaces

🔗 Cross-References

🏷️ Tags

file, time, timestamp, os, stat, io

📝 Notes

  • Use os.path.getmtime() to get file modification time
  • Returns timestamp (float); use datetime for formatting
  • Useful for backups, logs, and file management