---
id: win-precise-time
version: "1.4.2"
license: MIT
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: dormant
---

# win-precise-time

License: permissive · Maintenance: dormant · Downloads: 184.6K/mo

## What it is and what it does

win-precise-time is a Windows-only C extension that provides microsecond-resolution time measurement and sub-millisecond sleep precision, addressing a Windows-specific limitation where the builtin time.time() offers only ~15ms resolution. The package exposes two main functions: time() retrieves the current timestamp using GetSystemTimePreciseAsFileTime, and sleep() implements a more precise sleep by using SetWaitableTimerEx without requiring system-wide timer resolution changes. Both functions are implemented in C and perform comparably to the builtin time.perf_counter(). The package has no runtime dependencies and supports Python 3.7 through current versions on both 32-bit and 64-bit Windows.

The package is useful for Windows developers who need accurate timing for benchmarking, performance profiling, or real-time applications where millisecond-level jitter is unacceptable. It is production-stable but dormant; the last release was 2023-10-08 and the repository shows no active development, though it remains unarchived and free of known security vulnerabilities.

Use it for:

- Benchmarking and profiling Windows applications where builtin time.time() resolution is insufficient.
- Real-time or latency-sensitive applications requiring sub-millisecond sleep precision without global timer changes.
- Performance testing frameworks that need accurate microsecond-level timing on Windows.
- Game engines or multimedia applications on Windows requiring precise frame timing.
- Replacing time.time() and time.sleep() in code when running on Windows to avoid precision loss.

## Worth the install?

AI-flagged interpretation of the facts above — verify before relying.

Provides high-resolution time measurement and sub-millisecond sleep on Windows by wrapping Windows API calls, replacing the ~15ms resolution of the builtin time.time().

Yes, if you are on Windows and need microsecond-resolution timing or sub-millisecond sleep precision. The package is stable, permissively licensed, and has no known vulnerabilities. However, expect no active maintenance or updates; dormant status means community support is limited. Not applicable on non-Windows platforms.

## Install

pip install win-precise-time
uv add win-precise-time
poetry add win-precise-time

## Installing win-precise-time

Before you install: Medium friction: platform-specific compiled wheels for Windows only (cp37–cp312, win32 and win_amd64). Dormant maintenance (last release 2023-10-08, last commit 2024-10-09); no active development but repository not archived.

License in practice: MIT license (permissive); no restrictions on commercial or private use, modification, or distribution provided the license text is retained.

Quickstart:

pip install win-precise-time

import win_precise_time as wpt
wpt.time()  # retrieve current time with high precision
wpt.sleep(0.001)  # sleep for 1ms with sub-millisecond precision

Windows-only; requires Python 3.7 or later and a Windows OS (wheels provided for win32 and win_amd64 only).

Verify before relying:

- Whether the package works reliably on all supported Python versions given dormant maintenance status.
- Real-world precision guarantees under different system loads or timer configurations.
- Compatibility with Windows Server editions or non-standard Windows configurations.

## Package facts

- License: MIT (permissive)
- Python support: supports_current
- Install friction: medium
- Maintenance: dormant
- Downloads: 184.6K/month (top 15,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

windows high resolution timer, precise sleep windows, sub-millisecond sleep, windows time accuracy, getsystemtimepreciseasfiletime, queryperformancecounter wrapper, windows timer precision, windows-only, timing-precision, c-extension

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