Unix Timestamp / Date Converter
Convert Unix timestamps (seconds or milliseconds) to readable dates in local time and UTC, and back again.
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What is the Unix Timestamp / Date Converter?
This converter translates between Unix epoch timestamps and human-readable dates, showing both local time and UTC.
How to use it
- 1Enter a Unix timestamp to see the date, or pick a date to see the timestamp.
- 2Toggle between seconds and milliseconds.
- 3Use “now” to grab the current time.
How it works
A Unix timestamp counts seconds since 1970-01-01T00:00:00Z. The tool multiplies or divides by 1000 as needed and formats with the Intl API in your timezone and UTC.
Limitations & notes
- Timezone display uses your browser’s locale settings.
Frequently asked questions
How can I tell whether a timestamp is in seconds or milliseconds?
Count the digits. Current dates are 10 digits in seconds, such as 1700000000 for 14 November 2023, and 13 digits in milliseconds, such as 1700000000000. JavaScript's Date.now and Java's currentTimeMillis return milliseconds, while Unix shells, PHP's time and most databases use seconds. If a converted date lands in 1970 or tens of thousands of years ahead, switch the unit selector.
What is the Year 2038 problem?
Systems that store Unix time in a signed 32-bit integer can count only up to 2147483647, which is 03:14:07 UTC on 19 January 2038. One second later the value overflows to a negative number and reads as December 1901. Modern 64-bit systems are not affected, but old embedded devices, file formats and database columns typed as 32-bit integers still are. Paste 2147483647 here to see the exact moment.
Why does converting a date to a timestamp give a result that is hours off?
The date field uses the browser's Date.parse, and timezone handling depends on the format. A date-only value like 2026-01-01 is treated as midnight UTC, but a date and time without a zone, like 2026-01-01T12:00, is treated as your local time. Add Z for UTC or an offset such as -05:00 to remove the ambiguity, for example 2026-01-01T12:00:00Z.
Does Unix time include leap seconds or time zones?
Neither. Unix time counts seconds since 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC and assumes every day has exactly 86,400 seconds, so leap seconds are not counted. The number is identical everywhere in the world at the same instant; time zones only affect how it is displayed. That is why this tool shows one timestamp alongside several renderings, including UTC, your local time, and a chosen zone.
Which time zones can this converter show?
Besides UTC, ISO 8601 and your own browser's local time, the display timezone menu offers America/Chicago, Europe/London and Asia/Tokyo, which apply their daylight saving rules automatically through the browser's Intl API. The tool also shows a relative description such as 3 days ago. Negative timestamps work too, so -86400 shows 31 December 1969.
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