Searching for a * sign signifies that Windows Search should pull up every single file on your computer. In the Start Menu search area, Type * and press Enter. Using Search + Timestamps you’ll be able to sort by access date and see exactly what went down on your PC, exactly when it all happened, and sometimes even in what order.ġ. This scenario is where Windows Search comes into use. Manually looking through the properties of every file on your system could take years. How To Use Last Access Time Stamps In Windows

Open the cmd prompt from administrator mode like before, but this time type in “ fsutil behavior set disablelastaccess 1 “ How To Disable Last Access Time Stamps In Windows 7 Maybe you have Time Stamps enabled, but you are ready to give them the boot. Take note on really old PCs this might cause performance issues, but even that isn’t too common. Now timestamps are enabled, and you’ll be able to see when files are accessed from now on. Restart your PC for changes to take effect. Now in the cmd prompt, Type in “ fsutil behavior set disablelastaccess 0 “ and press Enter.Ĥ. Once that comes up right-click cmd.exe and select Run as administrator.Ģ. How to Add Access Time Stamps to All Files on Windows 7ġ.

Once enabled, however, all of your apps will become aware of when they are being used/accessed. Or perhaps you’re a forensics corp IT guy? Anyway, a few things to keep in mind before we get started:ġ) Enabling or Disabling this won’t make your Accessed date vanish or reappear, rather it will only change if Windows updates the timestamp or not.Ģ) If a last accessed timestamp already exists for your file, it will remain persistent unless this feature is enabled. This trick can be useful if you think someone or something (malware) other than you might be using your computer.

Find files by date