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Timestamp Converter

Convert between Unix timestamps and human-readable dates, in your local timezone and UTC. Runs entirely in your browser — nothing is sent to any server.

Timestamp

Seconds or milliseconds since epoch — auto-detected from digit count.

Interpreted in your browser's local timezone.

Result
Relative just now
ISO 8601 2026-09-01T12:52:37.000Z
Unix (seconds) 1788267157
Unix (milliseconds) 1788267157000
Local time September 1, 2026 at 12:52:37 PM
UTC September 1, 2026 at 12:52:37 PM UTC

What is a Unix timestamp?

A Unix timestamp counts seconds (or, in many APIs and JavaScript's own Date.now(), milliseconds) elapsed since 00:00:00 UTC on January 1st, 1970 — the "epoch". It's timezone-independent by definition, which is exactly why it's the default way most systems store and exchange a point in time internally, leaving the timezone-aware formatting for display. This tool converts freely between a Unix timestamp and a human-readable date, auto-detecting whether a timestamp is in seconds or milliseconds from its digit count (13 or more digits means milliseconds).

Examples

Convert a Unix timestamp to a date object natively in most languages:

JavaScript
new Date(unixSeconds * 1000)
Math.floor(Date.now() / 1000)
Python
from datetime import datetime, timezone
datetime.fromtimestamp(unix, timezone.utc)
Java
Instant.ofEpochSecond(unixSeconds)
C#
DateTimeOffset.FromUnixTimeSeconds(unixSeconds)
Go
time.Unix(unixSeconds, 0)
PHP
date('Y-m-d H:i:s', $unixSeconds)
SQL
SELECT TO_TIMESTAMP(unix_seconds); -- Postgres
SELECT FROM_UNIXTIME(unix_seconds); -- MySQL

Use Cases

Debugging API responses

Paste a raw timestamp from a JSON response (created_at, exp, updated_at) to instantly see what date and time it actually represents.

Reading log timestamps

Server and application logs often store Unix time — convert one here to line it up against a specific event without doing the math by hand.

Scheduling and cron jobs

Work out the exact Unix timestamp a task should fire at, or double-check that a scheduled job's stored timestamp lands on the date you expect.

Comparing timezones

See a single instant expressed both in your local timezone and in UTC side by side, useful when coordinating with a team or server in a different timezone.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is a Unix timestamp always in seconds?
No — most systems and Unix conventions use seconds, but JavaScript's Date.now() and many web APIs use milliseconds instead. This tool auto-detects which one you pasted by digit count: 13+ digits is treated as milliseconds, fewer as seconds.
Why does the converter show the wrong unit for my timestamp?
The digit-count heuristic can misfire for timestamps very far in the past or future. If that happens, add or remove three trailing zeros yourself to switch between seconds and milliseconds before pasting it in.
Does Unix time account for leap seconds?
No — Unix time is defined to always advance by exactly 86400 seconds per day, silently absorbing leap seconds rather than counting them. This is standard behavior shared by essentially every system that uses Unix time.
Is my data sent to a server?
No. All conversion happens locally in your browser with plain JavaScript. Nothing you enter here is transmitted or stored anywhere.
What timezone is the 'Date & Time' field in?
It's always your browser's local timezone, taken from your operating system. The result panel shows both that local time and the UTC equivalent side by side so you can compare them directly.