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Asked: 2026-05-11T19:02:59+00:00

os.path.getmtime() and os.stat() seem to return values in whole seconds only. Is this the

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os.path.getmtime() and os.stat() seem to return values in whole seconds only.

Is this the greatest resolution possible on either a Windows or OSX file system, or is there a way of getting greater resolution on file times?

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1 Answer

  1. Editorial Team

    The documentation for os.stat() has a note that says:

    The exact meaning and resolution of
    the st_atime, st_mtime, and st_ctime
    members depends on the operating
    system and the file system. For
    example, on Windows systems using the
    FAT or FAT32 file systems, st_mtime
    has 2-second resolution, and st_atime
    has only 1-day resolution. See your
    operating system documentation for
    details.

    On for instance Windows, the FILETIME structure used to represent file times uses a 100-nanosecond resolution. I would expect Python to “know” this, and give you the best possible resolution. Is it possible that you’re using files on a FAT filesystem?

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