Unix Time Converter

Convert Unix timestamps (Epoch time) to human-readable dates and vice versa. Supports milliseconds, seconds, and multiple time zones.

Unix Time (Epoch Time): Number of seconds that have elapsed since 00:00:00 Thursday, 1 January 1970, Coordinated Universal Time (UTC).

Timestamp → Date
Date → Timestamp
Enter Unix timestamp in seconds or milliseconds
Today (approx)
Epoch (Jan 1, 1970)
Sep 9, 2001
Jan 1, 2021
Jan 1, 2024
Jan 1, 2100
Dec 2, 1966
Local Time (Browser Timezone)
Browser local timezone
Local Time (Browser Timezone)
Browser local timezone
UTC (Coordinated Universal Time)
GMT±0, No DST
America/New_York
EST/EDT (UTC-5/-4)
America/Los_Angeles
PST/PDT (UTC-8/-7)
Europe/London
GMT/BST (UTC+0/+1)
Europe/Paris
CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Asia/Tokyo
JST (UTC+9)
Asia/Shanghai
CST (UTC+8)
Australia/Sydney
AEST/AEDT (UTC+10/+11)
Timezone for displaying the converted date
Converting...

Understanding Unix Time

Unix time, also known as Epoch time or POSIX time, is a system for describing points in time. It is the number of seconds that have elapsed since 00:00:00 Thursday, 1 January 1970, Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), minus leap seconds.

Key Characteristics of Unix Time:

  • Counts seconds since the Unix Epoch (January 1, 1970 00:00:00 UTC)
  • Does not count leap seconds (Unix time is linear)
  • Stored as a signed 32-bit integer in many systems (will overflow in 2038)
  • Often represented as a 64-bit integer in modern systems
  • Independent of time zones (always UTC)

Common Unix Timestamps

Timestamp Date Description
0 Jan 1, 1970 00:00:00 UTC Unix Epoch (Beginning of Unix Time)
3600 Jan 1, 1970 01:00:00 UTC 1 hour after Epoch
86400 Jan 2, 1970 00:00:00 UTC 1 day after Epoch
31536000 Jan 1, 1971 00:00:00 UTC 1 year after Epoch
1000000000 Sep 9, 2001 01:46:40 UTC 1 billion seconds after Epoch
1234567890 Feb 13, 2009 23:31:30 UTC Easy to remember sequence
1609459200 Jan 1, 2021 00:00:00 UTC Beginning of 2021
2147483647 Jan 19, 2038 03:14:07 UTC Year 2038 problem (32-bit overflow)

Enhanced Timezone Support with moment-timezone

This tool now uses the moment-timezone library for accurate timezone conversions. Key features include:

1

Full IANA Timezone Database: Supports all IANA timezone identifiers (e.g., America/New_York, Europe/London, Asia/Tokyo) with historical accuracy.

2

Daylight Saving Time Handling: Automatically accounts for DST changes based on historical data and location-specific rules.

3

Timezone Abbreviations: Shows correct timezone abbreviations (EST, PST, GMT, etc.) based on the specific date and location.

4

Historical Timezone Data: Accurate for dates in the past, accounting for historical timezone changes and DST rules.

Common Uses of Unix Time

  • File Systems: File creation, modification, and access times
  • Databases: Storing timestamps efficiently
  • APIs: Timestamps in web APIs and responses
  • Logging: Timestamps in system and application logs
  • Version Control: Commit timestamps in Git and other VCS
  • Cookies: Expiration dates in HTTP cookies
  • Caching: Cache expiration headers

Frequently Asked Questions

This tool uses the moment-timezone library, which includes the full IANA timezone database. This provides accurate timezone conversions including historical timezone changes, daylight saving time rules, and location-specific adjustments. The database is regularly updated to reflect current timezone rules.

Yes, the moment-timezone library includes comprehensive daylight saving time (DST) rules for all supported timezones. It automatically adjusts for DST based on the specific date and location, showing correct UTC offsets and timezone abbreviations (e.g., EST vs EDT for Eastern Time).

Unix timestamps are typically measured in seconds since the Epoch. However, some systems (like JavaScript) use milliseconds. To convert seconds to milliseconds, multiply by 1000. This calculator automatically detects whether your input is in seconds or milliseconds based on its magnitude, or you can manually select the unit.

Unix timestamps are always in UTC (Coordinated Universal Time) and are independent of time zones. When converting from a date to a timestamp, the input date is interpreted in the selected timezone and then converted to UTC. When converting from timestamp to date, the result can be displayed in any timezone using the moment-timezone library.

Yes, this tool can handle dates from year 100 to year 9999. The moment-timezone library includes historical timezone data, allowing accurate conversions even for dates in the distant past. However, note that timezone rules have changed over history, and the accuracy depends on the completeness of historical timezone data.