GetTickCount function (sysinfoapi.h)

Retrieves the number of milliseconds that have elapsed since the system was started, up to 49.7 days.

Syntax

DWORD GetTickCount();

Return value

The return value is the number of milliseconds that have elapsed since the system was started.

Remarks

The resolution of the GetTickCount function is limited to the resolution of the system timer, which is typically in the range of 10 milliseconds to 16 milliseconds. The resolution of the GetTickCount function is not affected by adjustments made by the GetSystemTimeAdjustment function.

The elapsed time is stored as a DWORD value. Therefore, the time will wrap around to zero if the system is run continuously for 49.7 days. To avoid this problem, use the GetTickCount64 function. Otherwise, check for an overflow condition when comparing times.

If you need a higher resolution timer, use a multimedia timer or a high-resolution timer.

To obtain the time elapsed since the computer was started, retrieve the System Up Time counter in the performance data in the registry key HKEY_PERFORMANCE_DATA. The value returned is an 8-byte value. For more information, see Performance Counters.

To obtain the time the system has spent in the working state since it was started, use the QueryUnbiasedInterruptTime function.

Note  The QueryUnbiasedInterruptTime function produces different results on debug ("checked") builds of Windows, because the interrupt-time count and tick count are advanced by approximately 49 days. This helps to identify bugs that might not occur until the system has been running for a long time. The checked build is available to MSDN subscribers through the Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN) Web site.
 

Examples

// calculate a 't' value that will linearly interpolate from 0 to 1 and back every 20 seconds
DWORD currentTime = GetTickCount();
if ( m_startTime == 0 )
{
    m_startTime = currentTime;
}
float t = 2 * (( currentTime - m_startTime) % 20000) / 20000.0f;
if (t > 1.0f)
{
    t = 2 - t;
}

Requirements

Requirement Value
Minimum supported client Windows 2000 Professional [desktop apps | UWP apps]
Minimum supported server Windows 2000 Server [desktop apps | UWP apps]
Target Platform Windows
Header sysinfoapi.h (include Windows.h)
Library Kernel32.lib
DLL Kernel32.dll

See also

Time Functions

Windows Time