How many days to binge The X-Files
Pick the pace that matches your life. Days are rounded up, so the last day is usually a short one.
| Pace | Days | Weeks |
|---|---|---|
| One episode a day | 218 | 31 |
| 1 hour a day | 218 | 31 |
| 2 hours a day | 109 | 16 |
| 3 hours a day | 73 | 10 |
| 4 hours a day | 55 | 8 |
| 8-hour marathon days | 28 | 4 |
| Non-stop, no sleep | 9 days, 2 hours | |
The X-Files runtime by season
| Season | Episodes | Avg runtime | Total | First aired |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | 24 | 60 min | 24 hours | September 10, 1993 |
| Season 2 | 25 | 60 min | 25 hours | September 16, 1994 |
| Season 3 | 24 | 60 min | 24 hours | September 22, 1995 |
| Season 4 | 24 | 60 min | 24 hours | October 4, 1996 |
| Season 5 | 20 | 60 min | 20 hours | November 2, 1997 |
| Season 6 | 22 | 60 min | 22 hours | November 8, 1998 |
| Season 7 | 22 | 60 min | 22 hours | November 7, 1999 |
| Season 8 | 21 | 60 min | 21 hours | November 5, 2000 |
| Season 9 | 20 | 60 min | 20 hours | November 11, 2001 |
| Season 10 | 6 | 60 min | 6 hours | January 24, 2016 |
| Season 11 | 10 | 60 min | 10 hours | January 3, 2018 |
About The X-Files
Two FBI agents, Fox Mulder (a believer) and Dana Scully (a skeptic), investigate unexplained cases where the paranormal might be involved while hidden forces work to impede their efforts.
How to get through The X-Files faster
- Skip the intro. Roughly a minute and a quarter per episode adds up to about 4 hours, 33 minutes across the whole run.
- Bump the speed. At 1.25× the total drops to 174 hours; at 1.5× it's 145 hours.
- Watch with a comment section. A running conversation pinned to each moment makes long stretches feel shorter, and it's the reason TalkAbtIT exists.
The X-Files FAQ
How long does it take to watch all of The X-Files?
9 days, 2 hours of screen time. That's 218 episodes at about 60 minutes each. At two hours a night it takes 109 days.
How many episodes of The X-Files are there?
218 regular episodes across 11 seasons (1993–2018). Specials and recap episodes are not counted.
How long is an episode of The X-Files?
Episodes average 60 minutes. The per-season table above shows where runtimes change.
Is The X-Files still running?
No. The X-Files ended on March 21, 2018 after 11 seasons.
More binge times
Episode data from TVmaze, refreshed weekly (last update 2026-09-23). Runtimes are as listed per episode, so totals exclude recaps you skip and credits you don't.