Epoch / Unix Timestamp Converter

Convert between Unix epoch timestamps and human-readable dates across time zones.

How to Use Epoch / Unix Timestamp Converter

1

Enter a timestamp

Type a Unix epoch timestamp or a human-readable date.
2

Choose conversion direction

Convert from epoch to date or from date to epoch.
3

Copy the result

Click copy to grab the converted timestamp or date string.

Tested tool guide Tested browser tools Checked August 16, 2026

What Epoch / Unix Timestamp Converter does, with a checked example

A Unix timestamp represents an instant as seconds relative to 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC. This converter turns that number into a human-readable date in a selected time zone, or converts a zoned calendar date back to an epoch value. The most common mistake is supplying milliseconds as though they were seconds. Time zone selection can change the displayed date and clock time, but it does not change the instant represented by an existing timestamp.

Worked example

A concrete input and expected output from the current implementation.

Input

Timestamp: 0
Time zone: UTC

Expected output

1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC

Unix timestamp 0 is the epoch itself. It is exactly zero seconds before or after 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC.

How the result is produced

Timestamp to date

For timestamp-to-date conversion, the numeric value is measured from the Unix epoch at 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC. Positive values identify later instants and negative values identify earlier ones. The selected time zone determines the local calendar date, clock time, and offset used to display that instant.

Date to timestamp

For date-to-timestamp conversion, the entered calendar fields are interpreted in the selected time zone. That zone's UTC offset at the specified date determines the corresponding instant, so daylight-saving and historical offset changes matter. Converting the same instant for another zone should change its displayed date and time, not its epoch value.

Good uses

Decode a numeric timestamp from a log entry into the local time when an event occurred.
Convert a scheduled date in a named time zone into an epoch value for a configuration field.
Compare timestamps from databases, webhooks, or command-line output using a common UTC-relative representation.

Limits and checks

Confirm whether the source value is in seconds or milliseconds. Misreading milliseconds as seconds produces a date far outside the expected period.
A local clock time during a daylight-saving transition may be ambiguous or nonexistent. Without an explicit offset, the intended instant may not be uniquely determined.
A Unix timestamp contains no original time zone. A displayed zone is a chosen interpretation and cannot reveal where the timestamp was created.

Common questions

Why does my timestamp produce a date thousands of years away?

Check the input unit. Unix timestamps are normally expressed in seconds, while many browser and application values use milliseconds. Treating milliseconds as seconds multiplies the elapsed time by 1,000. If the converter offers a unit choice, select milliseconds; otherwise convert the source value to seconds first.

Can the converter determine the timestamp's original time zone?

No. A Unix timestamp identifies an instant relative to UTC but stores neither a time zone name nor the original UTC offset. The converter can render that instant in a zone you select, but it cannot determine whether the source was recorded in New York, Tokyo, UTC, or another location.

References and verification

The example and behavioral notes were checked against the browser implementation. Standards and primary references below define the relevant format, formula, or platform behavior.