Timestamp Converter

About Timestamp Converter

The timestamp converter translates between Unix timestamps and human-readable dates, both ways. A Unix timestamp counts the seconds (or milliseconds) elapsed since the Unix epoch — midnight UTC on 1 January 1970.

Give it a timestamp and it shows the local, UTC and ISO 8601 dates; give it a date and it returns the timestamp in seconds and milliseconds. It also shows the current time so you always have a reference.

Formula

• epoch — the reference point: 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
• seconds — whole seconds elapsed since the epoch (a Unix timestamp)
• milliseconds — seconds × 1000, the resolution JavaScript uses internally

Unix time ignores leap seconds and is measured in UTC, so a timestamp is the same instant everywhere in the world.

How to use it

1. To decode: enter a Unix timestamp and pick seconds or milliseconds.
2. Read the resulting local time, UTC and ISO 8601 strings.
3. To encode: pick a date and time to get its timestamp in seconds and milliseconds.
4. Use the current timestamp shown at the top as a live reference.

Good to know

• Unix timestamps are in UTC, so the same value represents one exact instant regardless of your time zone; only the displayed local time shifts.
• Programming languages differ on units: Unix tools and most APIs use seconds, while JavaScript's Date.now() uses milliseconds.
• The classic 32-bit signed timestamp overflows on 19 January 2038 (the 'Year 2038 problem'); modern systems use 64-bit values to avoid it.
• Leap seconds are not counted in Unix time, which keeps the arithmetic simple.

Frequently asked questions