datetime.timedelta() Function in Python (with Examples)

Timedelta Python is a method used by Python that helps in calculating the difference between two dates. The Timedelta Python method is provided by the DateTime library. Timedelta Python can also be used for date manipulations in Python.

Syntax of timedelta in Python

The following is the syntax of timedelta function:

Parameters of timedelta in Python

Parameter	Description	Example
days	value in days to be passed to our timedelta object. It is an optional parameter.	timedelta(days=1)
seconds	time value in seconds to be passed to our timedelta object. It is an optional parameter.	timedelta(seconds=1)
microseconds	time value in microseconds to be passed to our timedelta object. It is an optional parameter.	timedelta(microseconds=1)
milliseconds	time value in milliseconds to be passed to our timedelta object. It is an optional parameter.	timedelta(milliseconds=1)
minutes	time value in minutes to be passed to our timedelta object. It is an optional parameter.	timedelta(minutes=1)
hours	time value in hours to be passed to our timedelta object. It is an optional parameter.	timedelta(hours=1)
weeks	value in weeks to be passed to our timedelta object. It is an optional parameter.	timedelta(weeks=1)

Note: All arguments are optional and default to 0. Arguments may be integers or floats and may be positive or negative.

Return value of timedelta in Python

timedelta object

Examples

Timedelta function demonstration

The timedelta function in Python is used to represent a duration, which could be any number of days, seconds, and microseconds. It can easily be created and used for date manipulations.

Code

Output

Explanation The example creates a timedelta object for a duration of 5 days, 3 hours, and 30 minutes and prints it out. This demonstrates the initialization of a timedelta object.

Print the current date and time

Displaying the current date and time in Python is done using the datetime.now() function.

Code

Output

Explanation This code snippet fetches the current date and time using datetime.now() and prints it.

Calculate a date in the future

To compute a future date, add a timedelta to the current date.

Code

Output

Explanation We calculate a date 10 days from now by adding a timedelta of 10 days to the current date.

Calculate a date in the past

To find a date in the past, subtract a timedelta from the current date.

Code

Output

Explanation The example shows how to get the date 30 days ago by subtracting a timedelta of 30 days from today.

Calculate the time elapsed since a particular event or the time remaining for a particular event to occur

timedelta can be used to calculate how much time has passed since an event or how much time is left until an event occurs.

Code

Output

Explanation The first part calculates the time elapsed since New Year's Day 2024, and the second part calculates the time remaining until an event scheduled 10 days from the current date.

Subtracting a timedelta object from a date or datetime object

Subtracting a timedelta object from a date or datetime object is a straightforward task in Python, which allows you to calculate past dates or times with precision.

Example Code

Expected Output

Explanation

The code above computes the date and time one week before the current moment. This is achieved by creating a timedelta object representing 7 days and subtracting it from the current datetime. The result is a new datetime object, past_datetime, which is the exact time one week ago.

Conclusion

Timedelta Python helps in calculating the duration between two events.
Timedelta Python is a function of the Python DateTime class.
Timedelta Python contains the following parameters: days, seconds, microseconds, milliseconds, minutes, hours, and weeks.
All the parameters are optional and 0 by default.