Python | os.path.getmtime() method

os.path.getmtime() is used to get the last modification time of a file or directory. It returns the modification time as the number of seconds since the Unix epoch. This method is useful for checking when a file was last updated.

Example: The following example gets the last modification time of a file.

Output

1718275200.0

Explanation: os.path.getmtime(path) returns the last modification time of the specified file as a floating-point value.

Syntax

os.path.getmtime(path)

• Parameters: path - Path of the file or directory whose modification time is to be retrieved.
• Return Value: Returns a floating-point number representing the last modification time in seconds since the epoch.

Examples

Example 1: This example retrieves the modification time and converts it into a human-readable date and time format using the time module.

Output

Sat Jun 13 10:45:20 2026

Explanation: time.ctime(t) converts the timestamp returned by os.path.getmtime() into a readable date and time string.

Example 2: This example compares modification times of two files and identifies the most recently modified file.

Output

file2.txt

Explanation: os.path.getmtime() is used on both files and the file with the greater timestamp is the one modified more recently.

Example 3: This example safely checks the modification time and handles the case where the file does not exist.

Output

File does not exist or cannot be accessed

Explanation: If os.path.getmtime(path) cannot access the specified file, it raises an OSError, which is handled using try-except.