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Unix Timestamp Converter

Convert between Unix timestamps and human-readable dates across timezones.

  • epoch
  • utc
  • date
  • time

About Unix Timestamp Converter

A Unix timestamp (also called epoch time) is the number of seconds that have elapsed since 00:00:00 UTC on 1 January 1970. It's the standard way databases, log files, APIs, and programming languages store moments in time, because a single integer is timezone-agnostic and trivially comparable.

This converter goes both directions: paste a timestamp to see the matching date and time, or pick a date to get the corresponding epoch value. Conversions are done in the timezone you select, so the same timestamp can be inspected as UTC, your local time, or anywhere else.

How to use

Pick a unit at the top — seconds (the classic Unix epoch) or milliseconds (what JavaScript's Date.now() returns). For timestamp-to-date, paste a value into the "Timestamp" field and the matching date appears below.

For date-to-timestamp, enter a calendar date and time in the second field. Switch the timezone selector to interpret your input as something other than UTC. Use the "Now" button to grab the current epoch instantly, and the copy buttons to lift the result onto your clipboard.

Frequently asked questions

  • What is a Unix timestamp?

    A Unix timestamp is the number of seconds that have elapsed since 00:00:00 UTC on 1 January 1970, an instant known as the Unix epoch. It is the standard way databases, APIs, and programming languages store moments in time, because a single integer is timezone-agnostic and trivially comparable.

  • How do I tell seconds from milliseconds?

    Modern Unix timestamps in seconds are 10 digits long (timestamps around 1,700,000,000 correspond to 2023, and the count is currently in the 1.7 billion range). Millisecond timestamps are 13 digits. JavaScript's Date.now() returns milliseconds; most Unix command-line tools and databases use seconds. Pick the right unit at the top of the converter so the result reflects the value you actually pasted.

  • Why does the converted date depend on the timezone?

    A Unix timestamp itself is an absolute instant — it does not have a timezone. But the same instant is written down differently around the world: 1,700,000,000 is "Tuesday 14 November 2023, 22:13 UTC", "17:13 in New York", or "07:13 on Wednesday in Sydney". The timezone selector controls which of those local times the converter shows.

  • Can I convert dates before 1970?

    Yes. Unix timestamps for moments before the epoch are simply negative numbers — for example, -86400 is 31 December 1969, 00:00 UTC. Paste a negative value into the timestamp field and the matching pre-1970 date appears as usual.

  • What is the year 2038 problem?

    Systems that store Unix timestamps in a 32-bit signed integer can only represent values up to 2,147,483,647 — which is 03:14:07 UTC on 19 January 2038. After that the counter overflows. Most modern systems already use 64-bit integers for time, which extends the range far beyond any practical concern, but legacy code and embedded devices remain at risk.

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