What is a Unix timestamp?
A Unix timestamp, or epoch time, counts the seconds since midnight UTC on 1 January 1970. Computers store dates this way because one number means the same moment everywhere in the world, whatever the time zone. 1,700,000,000 seconds, for example, was reached on 14 November 2023.
Seconds, milliseconds or more?
- Seconds (10 digits today) are used by Unix, Linux, PHP and most databases.
- Milliseconds (13 digits) are used by JavaScript, Java and many APIs.
- Microseconds and nanoseconds (16 and 19 digits) appear in logs and some databases.
- Leave the unit on “Detect” and it is worked out from the number of digits.
How to use the converter
- Timestamp to date: paste the number. You get the date in your own time zone, in UTC, in ISO 8601 format and how long ago it was.
- Date to timestamp: pick a date and time, say whether it is your local time or UTC, and copy the seconds or milliseconds.
Good to know
- Timestamps are always in UTC; only the way they are displayed depends on the time zone.
- Dates before 1970 have negative timestamps.
- Systems that store seconds in a signed 32-bit number run out on 19 January 2038, known as the year 2038 problem.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Unix timestamp right now?
It is shown live at the top of this page and updates every second.
How do I convert a timestamp in Excel?
For seconds, use =A1/86400+DATE(1970,1,1) and format the cell as a date. The result is in UTC.
Why is the date one day off?
Usually a time zone difference: a timestamp near midnight UTC falls on a different calendar day in Dhaka or New York. Compare the “Your time” and “UTC” rows.