Unix Timestamp Converter
Convert Unix epoch timestamps to human-readable dates, and vice versa.
Timestamp to Human-Readable Date
Human-Readable Date to Timestamp
Accepts: YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS, YYYY-MM-DD, ISO 8601, or any standard date format.
About Unix Timestamps
A Unix timestamp (also called epoch time) is the number of seconds that have elapsed since January 1, 1970 00:00:00 UTC (the Unix epoch). It is widely used in programming, databases, and APIs because it is timezone-independent and easy to calculate with. Some systems use milliseconds instead of seconds — this tool handles both automatically.
Common Use Cases
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Unix timestamp?
A Unix timestamp is the number of seconds that have elapsed since January 1, 1970 00:00:00 UTC — a point in time known as the "Unix epoch". It is a timezone-independent way to represent a specific moment in time, used universally in programming, databases, and APIs.
Why do some timestamps have 13 digits instead of 10?
A 10-digit Unix timestamp counts seconds. A 13-digit timestamp counts milliseconds (thousandths of a second). JavaScript uses milliseconds by default (Date.now()), while most Unix-based systems use seconds. This tool automatically detects which format you are using.
What is the "Year 2038 problem"?
Many older systems store Unix timestamps as a 32-bit signed integer, which can hold a maximum value of 2,147,483,647 — representing January 19, 2038. After that, 32-bit systems will overflow and roll back to 1901. Modern systems use 64-bit integers which can represent dates billions of years into the future.
What is the difference between UTC and local time?
UTC (Coordinated Universal Time) is the global time standard with no timezone offset. Local time is UTC adjusted for your timezone. A Unix timestamp always represents a UTC moment — how it is displayed as a local time depends on the viewer's timezone. This is why timestamps are preferred over date strings in APIs.