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Unix Timestamp Converter

Convert a Unix epoch timestamp to a readable UTC/local date, or turn a date into its epoch value. The tool auto-detects whether your number is in seconds or milliseconds.

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Quick answer

Timestamp is a free, private online tool that lets you convert Unix epoch timestamps to human-readable dates and dates back to epoch. It runs entirely in your browser, so nothing you enter is uploaded to a server.

How to use the Timestamp

  1. Watch the live current Unix time at the top, in seconds and milliseconds.
  2. Enter an epoch value in Epoch → Date — seconds, milliseconds, microseconds or nanoseconds are auto-detected.
  3. Or type a date in Date → Epoch (or the word now) to get its timestamp.
  4. Use Use current time to fill both fields with the present moment.

Privacy: this tool runs entirely in your browser. Your input is never sent to, received by, or stored on any server — there are no uploads and no tracking of what you enter.

About Timestamp

What is a Unix timestamp?

A Unix timestamp (epoch time, POSIX time) is the number of seconds that have elapsed since 00:00:00 UTC on 1 January 1970, ignoring leap seconds. It's a single integer with no time zone, which makes it the standard way computers store moments in time.

Seconds vs. milliseconds

Classic Unix time is in seconds (a 10-digit number around now). JavaScript and many APIs use milliseconds (13 digits). This converter detects 13+ digit numbers as milliseconds automatically.

Time zones

Epoch values are always UTC. This tool shows both the UTC string and your local time so you can see the offset applied by your browser's time zone.

Frequently asked questions

What is the current Unix timestamp?
Click "Use current time" to fill in the live epoch value for right now, in both seconds and milliseconds.
Why is my date off by several hours?
You're probably comparing a UTC value with a local time. Epoch is UTC; the "Local" line applies your browser's time-zone offset.
What date formats can I paste?
ISO 8601 (e.g. 2025-06-02T14:22:23Z), YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS, and most formats your browser's Date parser understands.
What is the Year 2038 problem?
Systems storing epoch time in a signed 32-bit integer overflow on 19 January 2038. Modern 64-bit timestamps avoid this. This tool uses 64-bit JavaScript numbers.

Understanding Timestamp in depth

What a Unix timestamp is

A Unix timestamp (also called epoch time or POSIX time) is the number of seconds that have elapsed since 00:00:00 UTC on 1 January 1970, the moment known as the Unix epoch. It is a single integer with no time zone, no formatting and no ambiguity, which is exactly why computers love it: comparing, sorting and storing moments in time becomes simple arithmetic. Databases, log files, APIs and programming languages all use it internally.

Seconds, milliseconds and beyond

Classic Unix time counts seconds (a 10-digit number for current dates). JavaScript, Java and many APIs count milliseconds (13 digits), and some systems use microseconds (16 digits) or nanoseconds (19 digits). This converter inspects the length of the number and auto-detects the unit, so you can paste any of them and get the right date without manual scaling.

Why time zones cause confusion

Epoch values are always in UTC, but humans read time in their local zone. The same instant — say 1700000000 — is one wall-clock time in London and a different one in New York, even though the underlying number is identical. This tool shows the UTC string, your local time, ISO 8601 and RFC 2822 side by side so you can see exactly how the offset is applied and avoid 'off by a few hours' bugs.

ISO 8601 and other output formats

Beyond the raw number, dates are exchanged in several standard text formats. ISO 8601 (2023-11-14T22:13:20Z) is the international standard used in JSON APIs and the safest for storage and sorting. RFC 2822 is the email/HTTP header format. This converter also reports the day of the week and day of the year, which are handy for reports and scheduling logic.

The Year 2038 problem

Systems that store Unix time in a signed 32-bit integer can only count up to 2147483647 seconds, which is reached on 19 January 2038 — after that the counter overflows into negative numbers. Modern software uses 64-bit timestamps and is unaffected; this tool uses JavaScript's 64-bit numbers. Knowing the 2038 boundary (and the 1-billion-seconds mark in 2001) is useful when debugging legacy systems.

Live clock and reverse conversion

The page shows a live-updating current epoch in both seconds and milliseconds, so you always have 'now' to hand. You can convert in both directions: paste an epoch to get a readable date, or type a date (or the word 'now') to get its timestamp. Everything runs locally, so there is no network round-trip and it keeps working offline.

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