---
name: utime
status: documented
runtime: pp
source: src/runtime/pp/filemod.rs
---
```{index} single: utime; Perl built-in (pp runtime)
```

# utime

## Synopsis

```perl
utime $atime, $mtime, @files;
utime undef, undef, @files;    # set to current time
```

## Description

Sets the access and modification timestamps of one or more files.

Takes an access time, a modification time (both as Unix epoch
seconds, or undef for "now"), followed by a list of file paths.
Each file's timestamps are updated via the POSIX `utimes(2)` call.
When `Time::HiRes::utime` is available, nanosecond precision is
used via `utimensat(2)`.

Passing undef for either timestamp sets it to the current time.

Returns the number of files successfully modified.

## See also

stat, lstat