User Guide
Timestamp → date
- Paste a Unix timestamp (seconds or milliseconds) and press Convert.
- See UTC, local time, and relative time.
Date → timestamp
- Pick a date and time and press Convert.
- Get the value in seconds and milliseconds.
Current time
- The live current Unix time is shown at the top, with a copy button.
Private
- All conversions happen in your browser.
About the Timestamp Converter
This tool converts between Unix timestamps and human-readable dates in both directions, and shows the current Unix time live. Unix time is how computers most commonly store moments — as a single number — and translating it to and from ordinary dates is a constant need for developers.
What a Unix timestamp is
A Unix timestamp is the number of seconds elapsed since the “epoch”, midnight UTC on 1 January 1970. Because it is just an integer, it is compact, easy to compare and sort, and free of timezone ambiguity, which is why databases, APIs, log files, and programming languages use it everywhere. The trade-off is that a number like 1700000000 means nothing to a human until it is converted to a date.
Seconds versus milliseconds
There is a common source of confusion: some systems store the timestamp in seconds (a 10-digit number today) and others in milliseconds (13 digits), notably JavaScript. Mixing them up shifts a date by decades. This tool detects which you have pasted by its length and converts correctly either way, and when going the other direction it gives you both forms so you can use whichever your system expects.
Time zones and relative time
A timestamp itself is timezone-neutral — it marks an absolute instant — but humans read dates in a zone. The result therefore shows the moment in UTC and in your own local time so there is no ambiguity, plus a relative description such as “3 hours ago” to give immediate context. When you convert a date to a timestamp, the date you choose is interpreted in your local zone.
Privacy
All conversions use your browser built-in date handling and happen locally, so nothing is uploaded. For converting between calendar date formats, see the Date Converter; for unique IDs, see the UUID Generator.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Unix timestamp?
It is the number of seconds since 1 January 1970 (UTC), a compact way computers store a point in time. 1700000000, for example, is mid-November 2023.
Does it handle milliseconds?
Yes. If you paste a 13-digit value it is treated as milliseconds; a 10-digit value is treated as seconds. The detection is automatic.
Which time zone is used?
The timestamp result shows UTC and your local time. When converting a date to a timestamp, the date you pick is read in your local time zone.
What is the relative time line?
A human-friendly description such as “2 years ago”, computed from the current moment, so you can sense how old or future a timestamp is at a glance.
Is the conversion done privately?
Yes. Everything runs in your browser using its built-in date functions; nothing is sent to a server.