About Unix Timestamp → Date
Paste the timestamp you found in a log, a database column or an API response and see what date it actually is - in plain language first, then in your own zone and in UTC.
Reading a timestamp at a glance
The relative reading comes first on purpose. When a timestamp turns up in a log, the useful question is usually how long ago it was, not its calendar date - and it is the fastest way to spot a value that is wildly wrong, such as a millisecond timestamp read as seconds.
The year 2038 problem
A signed 32-bit integer runs out at 2147483647, which is 19 January 2038. Systems still storing time that way will wrap to a negative number and land in 1901. It is why 64-bit time fields matter, and worth checking against if a date comes back absurdly early.
Frequently asked questions
- My timestamp shows a date in 1970. What went wrong?
- A value near zero, so usually a missing or empty field that defaulted to 0 rather than a real time. It is the epoch itself, not a date anyone meant to record.
- How do I tell seconds from milliseconds?
- Count the digits. Current times in seconds have ten; in milliseconds, thirteen. This tool applies the same rule and tells you which it used.
- Can I convert a date back into a timestamp?
- Use the Timestamp Converter, which accepts an ISO 8601 or plain-language date and gives you the epoch value in both units.