What Is a Unix Timestamp
A Unix timestamp (also called epoch time) is the number of seconds that have passed since January 1, 1970, 00:00:00 UTC. It's a standard way to represent time in programming, databases, and APIs because it's timezone-independent and easy to store.
How to Convert Unix Timestamp to Date
This tool automatically converts Unix timestamps to human-readable dates. Simply paste your timestamp and see instant results in local time, UTC, and ISO 8601 format.
- Paste a Unix timestamp (seconds or milliseconds)
- Results appear instantly — no button needed
- View local time, UTC, ISO 8601, and relative time
Seconds vs Milliseconds
Unix timestamps come in two formats:
- 10 digits = seconds (standard Unix timestamp, e.g., 1700000000)
- 13 digits = milliseconds (JavaScript format, e.g., 1700000000000)
This converter auto-detects both formats and handles them correctly. If you paste a 13-digit timestamp, the tool automatically treats it as milliseconds and normalizes it for display.
Why Use Unix Timestamps
Unix timestamps are widely used because they're:
- Timezone-independent — same value everywhere
- Easy to store and compare in databases
- Standard format for APIs and logs
- Supported by all programming languages