What this tool helps with
A powerful online tool to convert Unix timestamps (epoch time) to human-readable dates and vice-versa. Supports seconds, milliseconds, multiple timezones, output format presets and custom formats, strict parsing, and a live clock formatted by your selected timezone.
Recommended workflow
- 1Select Timezone - Choose your target timezone from the dropdown (auto-detected local timezone included)
- 2Select Format - Choose a preset output format or enter a custom dayjs format string
- 3Timestamp to Date - Enter a 10-digit (seconds) or 13-digit (milliseconds) timestamp
- 4Click Convert - Instantly view the corresponding human-readable date and time
- 5Date to Timestamp - Input a date/time string; the tool strictly parses it by the selected/custom format (with common fallbacks) and converts it to a Unix timestamp
- 6Copy Result - One-click copy the conversion result to your clipboard
- 7Live Display - View both the real-time Unix timestamp and the formatted current time under your selected timezone & format
Capability details
- Bidirectional Conversion - Supports both timestamp-to-date and date-to-timestamp conversion
- Multi-timezone Support - Supports UTC, Beijing, New York, London, Tokyo, Sydney, and local timezones
- Format Presets & Custom Format - Quickly switch between common presets or use any dayjs format string
- Strict Parsing - Uses dayjs customParseFormat in strict mode to parse date strings reliably (with sensible fallbacks)
- Format Recognition - Automatically recognizes 10-digit (second) and 13-digit (millisecond) timestamps
- Live Clock - Shows the real-time Unix timestamp and a formatted current time reflecting the selected timezone & format
- Auto-detect Timezone - Detects the browser timezone on first load and adds it to the dropdown if missing
- Quick Access - Quickly get the current timestamp with a single click
- Precise Conversion - Supports accurate time conversion down to the second level
Practical use cases
- API Development - Handle and debug timestamp fields in API responses and requests
- Log Analysis - Convert timestamps in log files to understand event timing
- Database Operations - Correctly handle time-related fields in databases
- System Debugging - Verify the correspondence between system time and timestamps
- Data Migration - Convert between different time formats during data transfers
- Timezone Conversion - Easily handle cross-timezone time data and calculations
- Scheduled Tasks - Calculate execution times for scheduled tasks and cron jobs
Privacy, rights, and limits
Most processing is designed to run in the browser whenever possible, which makes the tool useful for quick personal or work files. For sensitive, production, or regulated material, test with a sample first and confirm the target platform's format, size, and quality requirements.
Common questions
What is a Unix timestamp (Epoch time)?
A Unix timestamp is the number of seconds that have elapsed since 00:00:00 UTC on 1 January 1970, not counting leap seconds. It's commonly used in computing for time storage and comparison.
Seconds vs milliseconds: which should I use?
Backends often use seconds (10 digits), while browsers like JavaScript Date.now() use milliseconds (13 digits). Our tool auto-detects both: 10-digit values are treated as seconds, 13-digit as milliseconds.
How do I convert timestamps across timezones?
Select the target timezone in the dropdown first. When you convert a timestamp to a date, the result is formatted in that timezone. This avoids manual timezone math and daylight-saving pitfalls.
Does daylight saving time (DST) affect results?
Yes. When a timezone observes DST, local clock shifts are applied automatically by our formatter, ensuring the displayed local date/time matches the real-world rule for that date.
Can I choose a custom output format?
Yes. Select a preset like 'YYYY-MM-DD HH:mm:ss' or switch to 'Custom' and enter any dayjs format string. The current time display and conversion results will follow the selected/custom format.
How does the tool parse date strings for Date → Timestamp?
It uses dayjs customParseFormat in strict mode. The tool first tries your selected/custom format, then falls back to common patterns (e.g., ISO 8601 variants). Parsing respects the selected timezone.