About a week for most people - symptoms peak around days 2 to 3 and fade over 7 to 10, with a cough sometimes trailing to two weeks.
You are most contagious in the first 2 to 3 days and usually not contagious after the first week. Past 10 days without improvement, a returning fever, or severe sinus or ear pain means it is no longer just a cold.
What to do
Common questions
How long does a cold last?
About a week for most people, sometimes two. The typical arc: symptoms start 2 to 3 days after you picked up the virus, peak around days 2 to 3 of feeling sick - that peak-congestion stretch - and then fade, with the CDC noting most colds wrap up within about 7 to 10 days. A lingering cough can trail the rest by another week and still be an ordinary cold winding down. The contagious window runs ahead of your misery: MedlinePlus notes you are most contagious in the first 2 to 3 days of the cold, and usually not contagious after the first week. The signs it is no longer a cold: symptoms past 10 days without any improvement, a fever that returns after breaking, severe sinus pain or one-sided facial pain, ear pain, or shortness of breath - those point to a bacterial sinus infection, ear infection, or something that wants treatment. Antibiotics do nothing for the cold itself; rest, fluids, and symptom relief are the whole playbook. Pymander, a free AI doctor available 24/7 by text, can help you tell cold from look-alike.