How to Read a Unix Timestamp
By Tools Star Hub Editorial Team · Published
A Unix timestamp counts time from 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC. In seconds, 0 is that instant. In milliseconds, 0 is the same instant, because 0 milliseconds is still the epoch.
The page converts the number you type into a UTC date, or a UTC date into seconds and milliseconds. It does not move that instant into another time zone. That conversion is the Time Zone Converter.
How to convert a timestamp
- Choose seconds or milliseconds. The same digits mean a different instant in each unit.
- Paste the number. An empty field and a word such as nope are rejected.
- Read the UTC time. 1710000000 seconds and 1710000000000 milliseconds are both 2024-03-09T16:00:00.000Z.
- Do not read a 13-digit millisecond value as seconds. A value near 1.71 trillion is the millisecond form of that March 2024 instant.
Example
The epoch
0 seconds and 0 milliseconds are both 1970-01-01T00:00:00.000Z.
A known second
1710000000 seconds is 2024-03-09T16:00:00.000Z.
FAQ
- What is the epoch?
- 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC. A timestamp of 0 is that moment.
- Why do seconds and milliseconds disagree when I reuse the same digits?
- Milliseconds are a thousand times finer. 1710000000 seconds and 1710000000 milliseconds are not the same instant.
- Does this change the time zone?
- No. The result is UTC. Use the Time Zone Converter to show that same instant in another zone.
- What is rejected?
- A blank value, and text that is not a number.
To turn a Unix time into UTC, or a UTC date into seconds, use the Timestamp Converter.