What is the difference between Unix timestamp in seconds vs milliseconds?

A Unix timestamp in seconds counts seconds since epoch (e.g. 1700000000). In milliseconds, the same moment is 1000× larger (e.g. 1700000000000). JavaScript's Date.now() returns milliseconds; most server systems use seconds.

🕐 Date & Time

Unix Timestamp Converter

Q: How do I convert a Unix timestamp to a readable date?

Paste your Unix timestamp into the converter above and the tool will instantly display the corresponding date and time in both UTC and your local timezone.

Q: What is the current Unix timestamp?

The current Unix timestamp changes every second. The converter above shows a live updating current epoch time. You can also get it in JavaScript with Date.now() (milliseconds) or Math.floor(Date.now()/1000) (seconds).

Convert epoch timestamps to readable dates — and dates back to timestamps. Live current time shown.

Current Unix Timestamp (seconds)

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Milliseconds

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Epoch → Date

Unix Timestamp

Unit

Date → Epoch

Date & Time (local)

How the Unix Timestamp Converter works

Unix time (or epoch time) counts seconds elapsed since January 1, 1970 00:00:00 UTC. It is the foundation of most timestamp systems in programming. This tool converts in both directions: paste any epoch value to get the human-readable date in UTC and local time, or enter a date to get its epoch equivalents in both seconds and milliseconds. The live counter at the top shows the current Unix timestamp updating every second.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a Unix timestamp?

A Unix timestamp (also called epoch time) is the number of seconds elapsed since January 1, 1970 00:00:00 UTC. It is a universal, timezone-independent way to represent a specific point in time, used widely in programming and databases.

How do I convert a Unix timestamp to a readable date?

Paste your Unix timestamp into the converter above. The tool instantly displays the corresponding date and time in UTC, your local timezone, and ISO 8601 format.

What is the current Unix timestamp?

The current Unix timestamp changes every second. The live counter at the top of this page shows it updating in real time. In JavaScript: Math.floor(Date.now()/1000) gives seconds, Date.now() gives milliseconds.

What is the difference between timestamps in seconds vs milliseconds?

A Unix timestamp in seconds (e.g. 1700000000) counts seconds since epoch. In milliseconds it is 1000× larger (e.g. 1700000000000). JavaScript's Date.now() returns milliseconds; most Unix/Linux systems use seconds.

What date is Unix timestamp 0?

Unix timestamp 0 corresponds to January 1, 1970 at 00:00:00 UTC — known as the Unix Epoch. Negative timestamps represent dates before this point.

Is this Unix timestamp converter free?

Yes — the Unix Timestamp Converter on Potential Daily is completely free with no sign-up required. All conversions run in your browser.

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