Filename-safe in Python strftime()
A compact timestamp with no characters that break filenames.
Format string
%Y%m%d_%H%M%S
Example output
20260618_134530
Edit this format in the live tester →
In Python
from datetime import datetime
dt = datetime(2026, 6, 18, 13, 45, 30)
dt.strftime("%Y%m%d_%H%M%S")
# => "20260618_134530"Directives used
| %Y | Year with century as a decimal number. | 2026 |
| %m | Month as a zero-padded number (01–12). | 06 |
| %d | Day of the month, zero-padded (01–31). | 18 |
| %H | Hour (24-hour clock), zero-padded (00–23). | 13 |
| %M | Minute, zero-padded (00–59). | 45 |
| %S | Second, zero-padded (00–59; up to 61 historically for leap seconds). | 30 |