Date Format Converter

Why date format conversion matters

Every API, database and spreadsheet seems to want dates in a different shape. ISO 8601 is the safest interchange format (sortable, unambiguous, time-zone aware), Unix timestamps are easiest to compare, RFC 2822 is what email headers use, and US/EU slashed forms are how humans write them. This tool takes whatever you have and gives you all the canonical forms at once, so you can copy the one your target system needs.

How to use the converter

Paste your date into the input. The format gets auto-detected — ISO, RFC, Unix seconds or milliseconds, US MM/DD/YYYY, EU DD/MM/YYYY and month-name forms ("May 6, 2026") are all recognised.
The result panel shows every common format at once. The detected source format is shown above the input as a sanity check.
Click Copy on whichever row you need. There's no "Generate" button — every keystroke updates the panel.
Use the example chips below the input to see how each well-known format looks side-by-side, or to seed the field with a working sample.

How ambiguous dates are resolved

When a slashed date could be either US (MM/DD/YYYY) or EU (DD/MM/YYYY), the tool inspects the digits: if the first part is greater than 12, only EU is possible; if the second part is greater than 12, only US is possible. When both parts are ≤ 12 (e.g. 03/04/2026), the tool falls back to US-style parsing — so always double-check the detected format hint above the field if you're not sure.

Quick format cheat sheet

ISO 8601 — 2026-05-06T15:14:00Z — use anywhere you need an unambiguous machine-readable date. Unix seconds — 1746371640 — for comparisons, sorting, log files. RFC 2822 — Wed, 06 May 2026 15:14:00 +0000 — email headers, HTTP headers. SQL — 2026-05-06 15:14:00 — most relational databases accept this directly.

Frequently asked questions

Which date formats are recognised on input?

ISO 8601 (2026-05-06T15:14:00Z and variants), RFC 2822 (Wed, 06 May 2026 15:14:00 +0000), Unix timestamps in seconds (10 digits) or milliseconds (13 digits), slashed dates US (05/06/2026) and EU (06/05/2026), and human forms with month names (May 6, 2026 3:14 PM). Mixed punctuation (dashes, dots, slashes) all work.

How do you tell US (MM/DD) from EU (DD/MM)?

If one part is greater than 12 the order is unambiguous — for example 13/05/2026 can only be EU. When both parts are ≤ 12 the date is genuinely ambiguous, and we default to US-style. The detected format is always shown above the input so you can spot mistakes immediately.

What's the difference between Unix seconds and Unix milliseconds?

Both count time since 1 January 1970 UTC. Unix seconds (10 digits) is the classic format — used by Linux, Postgres, most APIs. Milliseconds (13 digits) is what JavaScript's Date.now() returns. The tool auto-detects which one you've pasted by counting the digits.

Are time zones preserved?

If your input includes a zone offset (ISO with Z or +02:00, RFC with +0000), it's used verbatim. If you paste a naked date (2026-05-06 15:14) it's interpreted in your browser's local zone. The output rows always show the same instant in time — only the format and the apparent zone differ.

Does the tool work offline / privately?

Yes. All parsing and formatting happens in your browser; nothing is uploaded. You can use it on private project dates, internal milestones or anything sensitive without leaking the value. Try it offline — once the page is loaded, conversions still work.

Why does my SQL row show a different time than the others?

The SQL format always renders in UTC because that's the safest default for cross-system database storage. The other formats use either the original input zone (if present) or your browser's local zone. To compare directly, look at the ISO row — it carries an explicit offset.

Date Format Converter