How to Get File Creation and Modification Date or Time in Python

Learn how to retrieve file creation and modification timestamps in Python using os.path, datetime, and pathlib with cross-platform considerations.

Retrieving file creation and modification times is a common task in Python, useful for log management, file synchronization, backup systems, and data processing pipelines. Python provides several ways to access these timestamps using built-in modules. In this guide, we'll cover the most practical methods, show how to format the timestamps, and explain the important cross-platform differences.

Quick Answer

import os
from datetime import datetime

path = "myfile.txt"

mod_time = datetime.fromtimestamp(os.path.getmtime(path))
print(f"Modified: {mod_time}")

create_time = datetime.fromtimestamp(os.path.getctime(path))
print(f"Created:  {create_time}")

Output:

Modified: 2025-07-07 16:25:52.490759
Created:  2025-06-27 14:16:30.123721

Method 1: Using `os.path` with `time` Module

The os.path module provides getmtime() and getctime(), which return timestamps as seconds since epoch (January 1, 1970). The time module's ctime() function converts these to a human-readable string.

import os
import time

path = "myfile.txt"

mod_timestamp = os.path.getmtime(path)
create_timestamp = os.path.getctime(path)

mod_readable = time.ctime(mod_timestamp)
create_readable = time.ctime(create_timestamp)

print(f"Modified: {mod_readable}")
print(f"Created:  {create_readable}")

Output:

Modified: Mon Jul  7 16:25:52 2025
Created:  Fri Jun 27 14:16:30 2025

Custom Format with `strftime()`

To format the timestamp in a specific way (for example, ISO 8601):

import os
import time

path = "myfile.txt"

mod_timestamp = os.path.getmtime(path)
time_struct = time.localtime(mod_timestamp)

formatted = time.strftime("%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S", time_struct)
print(f"Modified: {formatted}")

custom = time.strftime("%B %d, %Y at %I:%M %p", time_struct)
print(f"Modified: {custom}")

Output:

Modified: 2025-07-07 16:25:52
Modified: July 07, 2025 at 04:25 PM

Method 2: Using `os.path` with `datetime` Module

The datetime module provides a more versatile way to work with timestamps:

import os
from datetime import datetime

path = "myfile.txt"

mod_time = datetime.fromtimestamp(os.path.getmtime(path))
print(f"Modified: {mod_time}")

create_time = datetime.fromtimestamp(os.path.getctime(path))
print(f"Created:  {create_time}")

print(f"Modified (ISO): {mod_time.isoformat()}")
print(f"Modified (custom): {mod_time.strftime('%d/%m/%Y %H:%M')}")

Output:

Modified: 2025-07-07 16:25:52.490759
Created:  2025-06-27 14:16:30.123721
Modified (ISO): 2025-07-07T16:25:52.490759
Modified (custom): 07/07/2025 16:25

Working with Timezones

For timezone-aware timestamps:

import os
from datetime import datetime, timezone

path = "myfile.txt"

mod_time_utc = datetime.fromtimestamp(
    os.path.getmtime(path), tz=timezone.utc
)
print(f"Modified (UTC): {mod_time_utc.isoformat()}")

mod_time_local = datetime.fromtimestamp(os.path.getmtime(path))
print(f"Modified (local): {mod_time_local.isoformat()}")

Output:

Modified (UTC): 2025-07-07T10:25:52.490759+00:00
Modified (local): 2025-07-07T16:25:52.490759

Method 3: Using `pathlib.Path` (Modern Python)

pathlib provides a clean, object-oriented approach:

from pathlib import Path
from datetime import datetime

path = Path("myfile.txt")

stat = path.stat()

mod_time = datetime.fromtimestamp(stat.st_mtime)
create_time = datetime.fromtimestamp(stat.st_ctime)
access_time = datetime.fromtimestamp(stat.st_atime)

print(f"Modified:     {mod_time}")
print(f"Created/Meta: {create_time}")
print(f"Last Access:  {access_time}")
print(f"Size:         {stat.st_size:,} bytes")

Output:

Modified:     2025-07-07 16:25:52.490759
Created/Meta: 2025-06-27 14:16:30.123721
Last Access:  2025-07-23 09:15:00.000000
Size:         1,247 bytes

Available Timestamp Attributes from `stat()`

Attribute	Description
`st_mtime`	Last modification time (content changed)
`st_ctime`	Creation time (Windows) / metadata change time (Linux/macOS)
`st_atime`	Last access time (file was read)
`st_birthtime`	True creation time (macOS; Python 3.12+ on Linux with ext4)
`st_size`	File size in bytes

Method 4: Using `os.stat()` Directly

os.stat() returns a stat result object with all file metadata:

import os
from datetime import datetime

path = "myfile.txt"
stat = os.stat(path)

print(f"Modification time: {datetime.fromtimestamp(stat.st_mtime)}")
print(f"Creation/Meta time: {datetime.fromtimestamp(stat.st_ctime)}")
print(f"Access time: {datetime.fromtimestamp(stat.st_atime)}")

Getting True Creation Time Cross-Platform

Since st_ctime means different things on different platforms, here's a helper function that gets the true creation time where possible:

import os
import platform
from datetime import datetime
from pathlib import Path


def get_creation_time(filepath):
    """Get the file creation time, cross-platform."""
    stat = os.stat(filepath)

    if platform.system() == 'Windows':
        return datetime.fromtimestamp(stat.st_ctime)
    elif platform.system() == 'Darwin':
        return datetime.fromtimestamp(stat.st_birthtime)
    else:
        try:
            return datetime.fromtimestamp(stat.st_birthtime)
        except AttributeError:
            return datetime.fromtimestamp(min(stat.st_ctime, stat.st_mtime))


path = "myfile.txt"
print(f"Created: {get_creation_time(path)}")
print(f"Modified: {datetime.fromtimestamp(os.path.getmtime(path))}")

Practical Examples

Checking If a File Was Modified Recently

from pathlib import Path
from datetime import datetime, timedelta

path = Path("myfile.txt")

mod_time = datetime.fromtimestamp(path.stat().st_mtime)
age = datetime.now() - mod_time

if age < timedelta(hours=24):
    print(f"File was modified {age.total_seconds() / 3600:.1f} hours ago (recent)")
elif age < timedelta(days=7):
    print(f"File was modified {age.days} days ago")
else:
    print(f"File was modified on {mod_time.strftime('%Y-%m-%d')} ({age.days} days ago)")

Output:

File was modified 16 days ago

Finding the Most Recently Modified File in a Directory

from pathlib import Path
from datetime import datetime

directory = Path(".")

files = [(f, f.stat().st_mtime) for f in directory.iterdir() if f.is_file()]

if files:
    files.sort(key=lambda x: x[1], reverse=True)

    print("Most recently modified files:")
    for f, mtime in files[:5]:
        mod_time = datetime.fromtimestamp(mtime)
        print(f"  {mod_time.strftime('%Y-%m-%d %H:%M')}  {f.name}")

Output:

Most recently modified files:
  2025-07-23 09:15  report.py
  2025-07-22 14:30  data.csv
  2025-07-20 11:00  config.json
  2025-07-18 08:45  utils.py
  2025-07-15 16:20  README.md

Getting File Info as a Dictionary

from pathlib import Path
from datetime import datetime


def get_file_info(filepath):
    """Return a dictionary of file metadata."""
    path = Path(filepath)

    if not path.exists():
        raise FileNotFoundError(f"File not found: {filepath}")

    stat = path.stat()

    return {
        "name": path.name,
        "directory": str(path.parent.resolve()),
        "size_bytes": stat.st_size,
        "size_readable": f"{stat.st_size / 1024:.1f} KB",
        "modified": datetime.fromtimestamp(stat.st_mtime).isoformat(),
        "created": datetime.fromtimestamp(stat.st_ctime).isoformat(),
        "accessed": datetime.fromtimestamp(stat.st_atime).isoformat(),
        "extension": path.suffix,
    }


info = get_file_info("myfile.txt")
for key, value in info.items():
    print(f"  {key:15s}: {value}")

Output:

  name           : myfile.txt
  directory      : /home/user/project
  size_bytes     : 1247
  size_readable  : 1.2 KB
  modified       : 2025-07-07T16:25:52.490759
  created        : 2025-06-27T14:16:30.123721
  accessed       : 2025-07-23T09:15:00
  extension      : .txt

Common Format Specifiers

Specifier	Meaning	Example
`%Y`	4-digit year	`2025`
`%m`	Month (zero-padded)	`07`
`%d`	Day (zero-padded)	`23`
`%H`	Hour (24-hour)	`16`
`%I`	Hour (12-hour)	`04`
`%M`	Minute	`25`
`%S`	Second	`52`
`%p`	AM/PM	`PM`
`%B`	Full month name	`July`
`%A`	Full day name	`Wednesday`

Method Comparison

Method	Returns	Best For
`os.path.getmtime()`	Float (seconds)	Quick modification time check
`os.path.getctime()`	Float (seconds)	Creation time (Windows only)
`os.stat()`	Stat result object	All file metadata at once
`pathlib.Path.stat()`	Stat result object	Modern, object-oriented code
`datetime.fromtimestamp()`	`datetime` object	Formatting and date arithmetic
`time.ctime()`	String	Quick human-readable output

Conclusion

To get file creation and modification times in Python, use os.path.getmtime() for modification time and convert it with datetime.fromtimestamp() for a readable format.

For modern Python code, pathlib.Path.stat() provides a clean, object-oriented approach to accessing all file metadata.

Remember that st_ctime means creation time on Windows but metadata change time on Linux/macOS; use st_birthtime on macOS for the true creation time. Format timestamps with strftime() to match your application's requirements.

How to Get File Creation and Modification Date or Time in Python

Quick Answer

Method 1: Using os.path with time Module

Custom Format with strftime()

Method 2: Using os.path with datetime Module

Working with Timezones

Method 3: Using pathlib.Path (Modern Python)

Available Timestamp Attributes from stat()

Method 4: Using os.stat() Directly

Getting True Creation Time Cross-Platform

Practical Examples

Checking If a File Was Modified Recently

Finding the Most Recently Modified File in a Directory

Getting File Info as a Dictionary

Common Format Specifiers

Method Comparison

Conclusion

Method 1: Using `os.path` with `time` Module

Custom Format with `strftime()`

Method 2: Using `os.path` with `datetime` Module

Method 3: Using `pathlib.Path` (Modern Python)

Available Timestamp Attributes from `stat()`

Method 4: Using `os.stat()` Directly