How to Convert Unix Timestamps Online for Free (2026 Guide)
You open a database export or an API response and see 1760486400 where a date should be. That's a Unix timestamp — the number of seconds since 1 January 1970 (the "Unix epoch"). Computers love them because they're simple numbers that sort and compare perfectly; humans hate them because they're unreadable. Our Timestamp Converter translates in both directions: timestamps to readable dates, and dates to timestamps — free, no signup, everything in your browser.
What the timestamp converter does
The tool has three jobs. "To Date" takes a Unix timestamp and shows it as a human-readable date in both UTC and your local time zone. "To Timestamp" takes a date and time you pick and shows the corresponding timestamp in both seconds and milliseconds. "Current Timestamp" shows right now as both. One clever detail: "To Date" automatically detects whether you pasted seconds or milliseconds — a 10-digit number like 1760486400 and a 13-digit number like 1760486400000 are both handled without you having to choose.
Step-by-step: timestamp to date
- Open the Timestamp Converter.
- In the "Unix timestamp → date" field, paste the number (e.g.
1760486400). - Click To Date.
- Read the result: a UTC line (the universal reference, e.g. Tue, 15 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT) and a Local line (the same moment in your device's time zone).
Step-by-step: date to timestamp
- Scroll to the "Date → timestamp" field.
- Pick a date and time with the date-time picker.
- Click To Timestamp.
- Read both values: Seconds (the classic 10-digit Unix timestamp) and Milliseconds (13 digits, used by JavaScript and many modern APIs).
Example 1: reading an API response
You're debugging a booking system and the log shows order_time: 1767225600. Paste it into the converter and hit To Date: it reads Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT — midnight New Year's Day, which immediately tells you the order came in right at the year boundary (possibly a test record). No mental arithmetic, no wrong guesses. The UTC line is the one to trust when comparing logs across systems; the Local line tells you what a user in your time zone would have seen.
Example 2: setting an expiry or scheduled event
Many systems want a future moment as a timestamp — a token that expires in 24 hours, a cron job, a cache TTL. Need the timestamp for noon tomorrow in UTC? Pick the date and time, hit To Timestamp, and copy the Seconds value into your API call or config file. Use the Milliseconds value for JavaScript's Date.now()-style APIs and for systems like MongoDB that store dates in milliseconds.
Example 3: what time is it in epoch?
Writing documentation or a test and need "now" as a number? Hit Current Timestamp — you get both the seconds and milliseconds values instantly. Handy for seed data, log correlation, and checking whether a system's clock is sane.
Seconds vs. milliseconds: don't mix them up
This is the single most common timestamp bug. A seconds timestamp is 10 digits (1760486400); milliseconds is 13 digits (1760486400000). Feed milliseconds to something expecting seconds and you get a date in the year 50000; feed seconds to something expecting milliseconds and you get January 1970. The converter's "To Date" auto-detects which one you pasted, and "To Timestamp" shows both — so you'll never have to wonder which one you need.
Practical tips
- Always compare logs in UTC. Local times differ per machine; UTC is the shared reference.
- Count the digits before pasting into a system: 10 = seconds, 13 = milliseconds.
- Remember the epoch: timestamp 0 = 1 January 1970, 00:00:00 UTC. Dates before that are negative numbers.
- 2038 note: 32-bit signed timestamps max out on 19 January 2038 (the "Y2K38" problem). If you maintain old systems, this converter is a good way to inspect boundary values.
Where you'll meet Unix timestamps
Once you know what to look for, timestamps are everywhere. Web APIs return them in JSON responses ("created_at": 1760486400). Databases store them as integer columns. Log files stamp entries with them because they're compact and sortable. JWT tokens carry exp (expiry) and iat (issued-at) claims as timestamps — paste an exp value into the converter and you'll instantly see when a token expires, which is invaluable when debugging "why is my login failing?" And if you work with spreadsheets, remember that Excel's date system is different (days since 1900), so convert at the boundary with this tool rather than guessing.
Privacy and cost
The conversion runs entirely in your browser's JavaScript engine — timestamps and dates you enter are never sent to any server. Free forever, no limits, no account.
Frequently asked questions
What is a Unix timestamp?
The number of seconds elapsed since 00:00:00 UTC on 1 January 1970. It's the standard way computers store dates as single numbers — easy to sort, compare and store.
How do I know if my timestamp is in seconds or milliseconds?
Count the digits: 10 digits means seconds, 13 means milliseconds. The converter also detects this automatically when you use "To Date".
Why do the UTC and Local results differ?
They're the same instant shown two ways. UTC is the global reference; Local is adjusted to your device's time zone. For cross-system work, use the UTC line.
Try it now: Free Timestamp Converter