Unix Timestamp Converter
Unix timestamps — the number of seconds (or milliseconds) since January 1, 1970 UTC — are how most programming languages, databases, and APIs represent time internally. This tool converts between timestamps and human-readable dates in both directions: paste a timestamp to see the date, or pick a date to get the timestamp.
A live clock at the top shows the current Unix timestamp ticking in real time, so you can grab the current value instantly. A seconds/milliseconds toggle switches the unit globally — JavaScript and Java typically use milliseconds, while Python, PHP, and most Unix systems use seconds.
Both local timezone and UTC representations are shown for timestamp-to-date conversions, since timezone confusion is one of the most common sources of timestamp bugs. Everything runs in your browser using the standard Date API — no data is sent anywhere.
By The Paper Room Editorial Team — Developer Tools
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between seconds and milliseconds timestamps?▼
A seconds timestamp is the number of seconds since the Unix epoch (Jan 1, 1970 UTC) — this is what Python's time.time(), PHP's time(), and the Unix 'date +%s' command return. A milliseconds timestamp is 1000x larger — this is what JavaScript's Date.now() and Java's System.currentTimeMillis() return. If your timestamp is 10 digits, it's probably seconds; 13 digits, probably milliseconds.
What is the Unix epoch?▼
The Unix epoch is January 1, 1970 at 00:00:00 UTC. All Unix timestamps are measured as the number of seconds (or milliseconds) elapsed since this moment. It was chosen as the reference point when Unix was developed in the early 1970s.
What's the Year 2038 problem?▼
Systems that store Unix timestamps as 32-bit signed integers will overflow on January 19, 2038, wrapping around to a negative number that represents a date in 1901. Most modern systems use 64-bit integers, which won't overflow for another 292 billion years. This tool uses JavaScript's 64-bit number type and is not affected.
Why do I see different times for the same timestamp?▼
Timestamps are absolute moments in time, but the human-readable date depends on your timezone. The same timestamp is 5:00 PM in New York and 10:00 PM in London. This tool shows both your local timezone and UTC to make the distinction clear.