Figuring Out When Windows Was Installed on Your PC
One of those tasks where I kept hitting a brick wall trying to pinpoint exactly when Windows was first installed. You’d think it’s a walk in the park, but nope — sometimes the info’s tucked away in obscure menus, or the system information page doesn’t tell the full story. After a fair bit of digging and trial-and-error, here’s what actually worked for me (and might help you too).
Using the System Information Tool (msinfo32)
This was my first go-to method because it’s built into Windows and pretty straightforward once you get the hang of it. Just press Windows key + R to open the Run dialog, type msinfo32, and hit Enter. The System Information window opens. Scroll down until you see “Original Install Date.” It usually appears as a long timestamp, which can look a bit confusing at first, but you can convert it into a regular date.
This approach is handy because it involves no scripting or registry dives — just Windows’ own tools. BUT, a word of caution: if your system has been upgraded multiple times or reinstalled cleanly, this date might reflect the original install rather than the most recent. It’s a rough guide, but still pretty useful. Sometimes, these timestamps don’t get updated after an upgrade, so keep that in mind.
Checking the Windows Folder Properties
I also took a quick shortcut by inspecting the properties of the Windows folder itself. Head over to This PC or My Computer, right-click the C: drive (or whichever drive your Windows is on), and select Properties. At the top, there’s a Created date — which often indicates when Windows was first installed, or at least when the folder was initially created during setup.
If you want to be a bit more precise, open an elevated PowerShell window (right-click the PowerShell icon and choose “Run as administrator”) and run:
dir C:\Windows | Select-Object CreationTimeThis displays the creation date and time of the Windows directory itself. Again, it’s not a perfect solution — if your PC has been upgraded or the Windows folder has been moved or re-created, the date might not be exact. Still, in most cases, it offers a reasonable estimate.
Digging Into the Registry
This method is a bit more technical. The installation date is stored in the registry, specifically at HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion. Look for an entry called InstallDate. It’s stored as a Unix timestamp, which counts seconds since January 1, 1970.
To check it quickly, open PowerShell as an administrator and type:
Get-ItemProperty "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion" | Select-Object InstallDateThis will give you a large number — the Unix timestamp. To convert it into a readable date, run:
[DateTime]::UnixEpoch.AddSeconds((Get-ItemProperty "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion").InstallDate)Heads up: be cautious when working in the registry. It’s best to back up before making any changes, but viewing this data is safe. Usually, this date tells you the initial install time quite reliably — although sometimes the value can be zero or missing if it’s been reset or cleaned out.
Using PowerShell for a Quick Check
If scripting’s more your style, and you’re comfortable with PowerShell, you can get the install date with a quick command:
(Get-CIMInstance -ClassName Win32_OperatingSystem).InstallDateThis outputs a timestamp like 2023-07-23T08:23:45.000000-04:00. It’s generally accurate and quick once PowerShell is running as an administrator. If the date doesn’t show or looks blank, try the other methods above.
Just a heads-up: on some systems, especially heavily customised or frequently upgraded ones, the dates can be a bit off or get reset. But by and large, this method gives a pretty solid answer.
Honestly, figuring out exactly when Windows was installed isn’t always straightforward, but with these tricks, you’re covered. Each has its quirks — sometimes the date’s inaccurate due to upgrades, clean installs, or registry cleaning — but they usually get you close enough for troubleshooting, licensing checks, or just curiosity’s sake. Make sure the date makes sense: if it looks way off (way older or newer than expected), your system might have had a bit of a fresh start.
I hope this helps — it took me ages to track down the right info, and I wish I’d known these tips earlier. Good luck, and hopefully this saves someone a weekend of head-scratching!