About this Unix time converter
Unix time counts the seconds since midnight UTC on 1 January 1970, called the Unix epoch. Databases, log files, APIs, and programming languages store dates this way because a single number is easy to sort and compare. This converter reads a timestamp in seconds or milliseconds, detects which one you pasted, and shows the matching date as ISO 8601, RFC 2822, and plain parts, in UTC or another time zone. It also works the other way, turning a UTC date and time into a timestamp, and the current Unix time ticks at the top of the tool.
How to convert a Unix timestamp
- Choose the direction. Pick Unix timestamp → date to read a timestamp, or Date (UTC) → Unix timestamp to create one.
- Enter the value. Paste a timestamp, or press an example such as Now. To create a timestamp, fill in the year, month, day, and time in UTC.
- Pick a time zone. Choose where the date should be shown under Show the date in. The timestamp itself is the same everywhere.
- Press Convert. Copy the result, or read the formats and parts below it.
Frequently asked questions
How do I tell seconds from milliseconds?
Timestamps for today’s dates have 10 digits in seconds and 13 in milliseconds. With Detect selected, values of 100 billion or more are read as milliseconds; choose the unit yourself for dates far in the past or future.
What is the year 2038 problem?
Systems that store Unix time as a signed 32-bit number run out of room at 2147483647, which is 03:14:07 UTC on 19 January 2038. After that the number wraps to a negative value unless the system uses 64-bit time.
Does a Unix timestamp have a time zone?
No. It always counts from midnight UTC on 1 January 1970, so the same moment has the same timestamp everywhere. Only the way the date is displayed changes with the time zone.
Can a Unix timestamp be negative?
Yes. Negative values are dates before 1970; for example -86400 is 31 December 1969. This converter accepts negative timestamps.
Are leap seconds counted?
No. Unix time treats every day as exactly 86,400 seconds and ignores leap seconds, which is why it differs from atomic time by a few dozen seconds.