How do I convert a Unix timestamp to a date?

To convert a Unix timestamp to a human-readable date: in JavaScript use new Date(timestamp * 1000).toISOString(); in Python use datetime.fromtimestamp(timestamp); in PHP use date('Y-m-d H:i:s', $timestamp); in Go use time.Unix(timestamp, 0). The key step in most languages is multiplying the seconds timestamp by 1000 to get milliseconds, which most date APIs expect. This tool does the conversion instantly in your browser with timezone support.

What is the difference between seconds and milliseconds timestamps?

Unix timestamps traditionally store time in seconds (e.g., 1700000000). Many modern APIs and JavaScript's Date.now() use milliseconds (e.g., 1700000000000) — which is 1000 times larger. A quick rule: if the number has 10 digits, it is almost certainly seconds; if it has 13 digits, it is milliseconds. This converter auto-detects which unit you've entered based on the magnitude of the number.

What is the Year 2038 problem?

The Year 2038 problem (also called Y2K38) occurs on January 19, 2038, at 03:14:07 UTC. At that moment, 32-bit signed integer timestamps overflow from their maximum value (2,147,483,647) to a negative number, which most systems interpret as December 13, 1901. Systems still using 32-bit time_t values — including some embedded devices, legacy databases, and older kernels — are at risk. Modern 64-bit systems are safe until approximately year 292 billion.

How do Discord timestamp formats work?

Discord supports dynamic timestamps in messages using the syntax where UNIX_TIMESTAMP is a Unix timestamp in seconds and STYLE is one of: d (short date), D (long date), t (short time), T (long time), f (short date/time), F (long date/time), R (relative time). These timestamps render in each viewer's local timezone automatically.

What timezone does a Unix timestamp use?

Unix timestamps are always stored in UTC (Coordinated Universal Time) — they have no timezone. The timezone only matters when converting a Unix timestamp to a human-readable date for display. For example, Unix timestamp 0 is 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC, but displays as 1969-12-31 19:00:00 in US Eastern time (UTC-5). This converter lets you choose any IANA timezone to display results in your preferred local time.

How do I get the current Unix timestamp?

In JavaScript: Math.floor(Date.now() / 1000). In Python: import time; int(time.time()). In PHP: time(). In Go: time.Now().Unix(). In Bash: date +%s. This tool displays the live current Unix timestamp at the top of the page, updated every second.

Can a Unix timestamp be negative?

Yes. Negative Unix timestamps represent dates before January 1, 1970 UTC. For example, -86400 represents December 31, 1969, 00:00:00 UTC. Most modern programming languages and 64-bit systems handle negative timestamps correctly. However, some legacy systems and databases that store timestamps as unsigned 32-bit integers do not support negative values and cannot represent pre-1970 dates.

Epoch & Unix Timestamp Converter

Online epoch converter — convert Unix timestamps to dates, generate Discord timestamp formats, and see code examples.

Free online Unix timestamp converter — paste any epoch to get a human-readable date in any timezone, generate Discord timestamp formats, convert dates back to Unix time, and copy ready-made code snippets for JavaScript, Python, PHP, and Go. Runs entirely in your browser — no data sent to a server.

Mode

Input unit

Auto: <13 digits = seconds, ≥13 = ms.

Timezone

Epoch start 1970-01-01 UTC

32-bit overflow 2038-01-19

64-bit max ~year 292B

Current Unix time sec

Unix timestamp

Enter seconds or milliseconds — auto-detected by default.

Date & time

Treated as the selected timezone.

UTC

Milliseconds

Paste any of these into a Discord message — they render in each viewer's local timezone.

Style	Markdown	Preview

Code Snippets

What is a Unix timestamp?

A Unix timestamp (also called epoch time or POSIX time) is the number of seconds elapsed since January 1, 1970, 00:00:00 UTC — a reference point known as the Unix epoch. It is a single integer, positive or negative, that represents any moment in history unambiguously and without timezone ambiguity.

Unix timestamps are used everywhere: API responses, database records, log files, JWT tokens, file system modification times, and more. Because they are timezone-agnostic, two servers in different countries can store the exact same integer and agree on the moment it represents.

Seconds vs. milliseconds — which do you have?

Traditional Unix timestamps count seconds. In mid-2026, a seconds timestamp is 10 digits (e.g., 1750000000). JavaScript's Date.now() and many modern APIs return milliseconds — a 13-digit number (e.g., 1750000000000).

Unit	Digits (2026)	Common source
Seconds	10	C time(), Go time.Unix(), PHP time()
Milliseconds	13	JS Date.now(), Java System.currentTimeMillis()

This converter's Auto mode detects which you have: numbers with 13 or more digits are treated as milliseconds; smaller numbers are treated as seconds.

Discord timestamps — the `<t:UNIX:F>` format

Discord supports dynamic timestamps in messages and embeds. Instead of displaying a fixed date string, Discord renders the timestamp in each user's local timezone. The syntax is <t:UNIX_SECONDS:STYLE> — where STYLE is one of seven format codes:

Code	Style	Example output
d	Short Date	11/28/2018
D	Long Date	November 28, 2018
t	Short Time	9:01 AM
T	Long Time	9:01:00 AM
f	Short Date/Time	November 28, 2018 9:01 AM
F	Long Date/Time (default)	Wednesday, November 28, 2018 9:01 AM
R	Relative	3 years ago

Use this converter to find the Unix timestamp for any date, then copy the Discord markdown from the table above. The relative (R) style is especially useful for event announcements since it counts down automatically.

Code examples for common languages

Language	Current timestamp	Timestamp → date
JavaScript	Math.floor(Date.now()/1000)	new Date(ts*1000)
Python	int(time.time())	datetime.fromtimestamp(ts)
PHP	time()	date('c', $ts)
Go	time.Now().Unix()	time.Unix(ts, 0)
Bash	date +%s	date -r $ts (macOS)

The Year 2038 problem explained

Many older systems store Unix timestamps as a signed 32-bit integer. The maximum value is 2,147,483,647, which corresponds to January 19, 2038, 03:14:07 UTC. One second later the value wraps to -2,147,483,648, which most systems interpret as December 13, 1901.

Systems at risk include legacy embedded devices, some MySQL TIMESTAMP columns, and old 32-bit kernels. Modern 64-bit Linux/Windows/macOS and PostgreSQL (64-bit timestamps internally) are safe until approximately year 292 billion.

Frequently asked questions

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