What a Unix timestamp is
A Unix timestamp (or epoch time) counts the seconds since 1 January 1970, 00:00:00 UTC, ignoring leap seconds. It's the same everywhere in the world: time zones only matter when the timestamp is shown as a date.
Many systems use smaller units: JavaScript's Date.now() and Java's System.currentTimeMillis() return milliseconds, and some databases and tracing tools use microseconds or nanoseconds. The tool guesses the unit from the number of digits, about 10 for seconds and 13 for milliseconds, and you can override it.
How to use the Unix Timestamp Converter
- Paste a timestamp or a date, or press Use current time.
- Check the unit the tool detected, and change it if needed.
- Read the date in UTC, your time zone and ISO 8601, or the timestamp in each unit.
- Copy any value, or a Discord timestamp tag in the style you want.
Examples
A timestamp in seconds
17943120002026-11-10T12:00:00.000ZTen digits, so it's read as seconds.
A timestamp in milliseconds
17943120000002026-11-10T12:00:00.000ZThirteen digits, so it's read as milliseconds, as JavaScript's Date.now() returns.
A date to a timestamp
2026-11-10T13:00:00+01:001794312000The +01:00 offset says the time is one hour ahead of UTC, so this is 12:00 UTC.
A Discord relative timestamp
1794312000<t:1794312000:R>In a Discord message, this shows how long ago or how far ahead the time is, such as "in 2 days".
Dates to timestamps
Paste an ISO 8601 date such as 2026-11-10T12:00:00Z or 2026-11-10 14:30, or an HTTP date such as Tue, 10 Nov 2026 12:00:00 GMT. A date without a time zone offset is ambiguous: choose whether it's in your time zone or UTC.
Discord timestamps
Discord turns tags like <t:1794312000:R> into a time shown in each reader's own time zone and language, which makes them ideal for announcing events to people around the world. The letter sets the style: t and T show the time, d and D the date, f and F both, and R a relative time such as "in 3 hours" that updates as time passes. The previews here are in your language; Discord's wording may differ slightly.
The year 2038 problem
Systems that store timestamps as signed 32-bit integers overflow at 2147483647, on 19 January 2038 at 03:14:07 UTC, and wrap round to 1901. Modern systems use 64-bit integers; check older databases, file formats and embedded devices.
Options
- Unit
- Detect unit guesses from the number of digits: up to 11 digits are seconds, up to 14 milliseconds, up to 17 microseconds, more are nanoseconds. Choose one to override it.
- Dates without an offset are
- Whether a date such as
2026-11-10 12:00is in your time zone or in UTC. Dates withZor an offset like+01:00aren't affected.
Limitations
- Leap seconds aren't counted, as in Unix time itself.
- Results are shown to the millisecond; finer digits of microsecond and nanosecond timestamps are dropped.
- Dates in other written formats, such as
10/11/2026, aren't accepted because the day and month order is ambiguous. Use ISO 8601.
Frequently asked questions
How do I get the current Unix timestamp?
In JavaScript, Math.floor(Date.now() / 1000) gives seconds and Date.now() milliseconds. In Python, int(time.time()). In a shell, date +%s. The tool also shows the current time at the top.
Is a Unix timestamp in UTC?
A timestamp has no time zone: it's the same moment everywhere. It's counted from midnight UTC on 1 January 1970, and only becomes a local time when it's displayed.
Why is my date in 1970?
Usually because a timestamp in seconds was treated as milliseconds: new Date(1794312000) is 21 January 1970. Multiply seconds by 1000 before passing them to JavaScript's Date.
How do I make a Discord timestamp?
Enter the date and time, then copy a tag from the Discord timestamps table, such as <t:1794312000:F>, and paste it into a message. Everyone sees it in their own time zone.
Is anything sent to a server?
No. Every conversion happens in your browser, and nothing you enter is uploaded, stored or logged.