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Time Zone Converter

See current time in any two time zones and find the difference between them, perfect for scheduling international meetings or checking business hours abroad. Updates live every second.

Reading your clock...

UTC, is 5 hours ahead of New

Reading your clock...

Convert a specific time

in UTC,

Popular Time Zone Pairs

PairTypical OffsetBest Overlap Window
UTC / New York−5h (EST) / −4h (EDT)1 PM–6 PM UTC = 8 AM–1 PM EST
New York / London−5h (winter) / −4h (summer)2 PM–6 PM London = 9 AM–1 PM EST
London / Singapore+8h (GMT) / +7h (BST)9 AM–11 AM London = 5 PM–7 PM SGT
New York / Tokyo+13h (EST) / +14h (EDT)Very limited, early AM EST or late PM JST

Understanding UTC Offsets

A time zone is a region that keeps a uniform standard time, defined as an offset from UTC, the number of hours (and sometimes half-hours) added or subtracted. For example, UTC+5:30 is India Standard Time, which is 5 hours and 30 minutes ahead of UTC.

Offsets can be negative (the Americas are mostly west of UTC), zero (London in winter), or positive (Europe, Asia, and the Pacific). Some countries use non-standard half-hour or quarter-hour offsets, India (+5:30), Iran (+3:30), and Nepal (+5:45) are common examples.

Americas

UTC−12 to UTC−3. Most of the US uses UTC−5 (EST) or UTC−8 (PST) in winter.

Europe & Africa

UTC−1 to UTC+4. Central Europe is UTC+1 (CET) in winter, UTC+2 in summer.

Asia & Pacific

UTC+3 to UTC+14. Japan (UTC+9) and Australia (UTC+10/11) are common destinations.

How This Time Zone Converter Works

Live clocks

Both clocks read from your device's system clock and update every second. Each timezone is resolved using the browser's built-in Intl.DateTimeFormat API against the IANA time zone database (for example America/New_York), the same database used by Linux, Android, and most server infrastructure.

Offset and difference calculation

To find the time difference, the tool compares the current UTC calendar time against each selected zone's local calendar time and derives the offset in minutes. This approach automatically accounts for daylight saving time because the IANA database encodes exactly when each region's clocks shift.

Converting a specific time

Enter a time in the “Convert a specific time” field and it is treated as a time in Zone 1 today. The tool computes both zones' UTC offsets for that date, applies the difference, and displays the equivalent clock time in Zone 2. Using today's date matters near a DST transition, since the offset a week from now may differ from the offset right now.

Swap button

The ⇄ button instantly swaps Zone 1 and Zone 2, which is faster than reselecting both dropdowns when you realize you compared them backwards.

Why the browser clock, not a server

Reading the time from your own device (rather than fetching it from a server) means the clock is only as accurate as your device's system time, but it also means there is no network round-trip delay and the tool works even with a poor connection. Most phones and computers sync their clocks automatically via NTP, so drift is rarely more than a second or two.

Common Use Cases

Time zone confusion is one of the most common causes of missed meetings, late deliveries, and awkward middle-of-the-night phone calls. A quick conversion before committing to a time avoids all of these.

Remote team meetings: Distributed teams use this to find a single meeting time that lands within reasonable working hours in every member's zone, avoiding the classic mistake of scheduling a call at 4 AM for one participant.
Flight and travel planning: Checking the local time at both departure and arrival cities helps estimate jet lag and plan airport pickups without manual offset math.
Live events and streams: Converting a broadcast start time (concerts, product launches, sports) from the organizer's zone into your own local time avoids missing the start.
Customer support coverage: Support teams use time differences to plan shift handoffs so coverage follows the sun across regions without gaps.
Cross-border deadlines: Confirming whether a submission deadline listed in another zone has already passed in your own local time, especially important near midnight cutoffs.
Abbreviation ambiguity: Three-letter time zone abbreviations are not unique. CST could mean US Central Standard Time (UTC−6), China Standard Time (UTC+8), or Cuba Standard Time (UTC−5). IST could mean India Standard Time (UTC+5:30), Israel Standard Time, or Irish Standard Time. This is why the dropdowns in the tool above use full city or region names (like "America/Chicago") instead of abbreviations, the same approach used by the IANA time zone database and most scheduling software, to avoid the ambiguity entirely.
DST caveat: The Southern Hemisphere (Australia, New Zealand, parts of South America) observes daylight saving on the opposite schedule from the Northern Hemisphere, shifting clocks in their spring (around September/October) rather than March. Always re-check offsets when scheduling across hemispheres near a seasonal transition.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the reliable way to convert time zones for a meeting?▾
Convert both ends, not one. Pick the two zones, read the current time in each and the offset between them, then choose a slot that is inside working hours on both sides rather than converting your own time and hoping. The offset is the part that catches people out, because it is not fixed: it shifts when one side changes for daylight saving and the other does not, so a recurring call that worked in January can land an hour off in April.
How do I convert time between time zones?▾
Select two time zones from the dropdowns above. The tool shows the current local time in both zones and calculates the time difference automatically. For a specific time, enter it in the "Convert a specific time" field.
What is UTC?▾
UTC (Coordinated Universal Time) is the global time standard. All time zones are defined as UTC plus or minus an offset. For example, New York is UTC-5 (EST) or UTC-4 (EDT) during daylight saving time. UTC never observes daylight saving.
What is the difference between UTC and GMT?▾
For everyday purposes, UTC and GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) are interchangeable, both represent the same time with zero offset. Technically, UTC is an atomic time standard while GMT is based on solar time. UTC replaced GMT as the civil time standard in 1972.
How does daylight saving time affect conversions?▾
The converter uses your browser's clock and the IANA timezone database, which accounts for daylight saving time (DST) automatically. When a region observes DST, its offset from UTC shifts by 1 hour. Not all countries observe DST, the US, most of Europe, and Australia do; Japan, China, India, and most of Africa do not.
What time is it in [city] right now?▾
Select that city's timezone from the dropdown to see the current local time. The display updates every second from your system clock.
What is the best time to schedule an international meeting?▾
A typical overlap for US/Europe is 3–5 PM CET (9–11 AM EST). For US/Asia, there is often no business-hours overlap, someone must take an early or late call. Use this converter to find a time that falls within 9 AM–6 PM for all participants.
Why do some cities change UTC offset at different dates?▾
Daylight saving time transitions happen on different dates by country. The US shifts on the second Sunday in March; Europe shifts on the last Sunday in March. This creates a 1–3 week period each spring and fall when the offset between US and European cities differs from the rest of the year.
Why does CST mean different things in different places?▾
Three-letter time zone abbreviations are reused across the world. CST refers to US Central Standard Time (UTC−6) in North America but China Standard Time (UTC+8) in Asia. Similarly, IST can mean India, Israel, or Ireland depending on context. To avoid confusion, this tool identifies zones by region name (like "Asia/Shanghai") rather than by abbreviation alone.

By Toolember · Updated September 2026