Time Zone Converter
Convert a time between time zones, with the UTC-offset system explained and a reference of common zones.
What time is it there
Time zones mean the same moment is a different clock time around the world, and converting between them is essential for anyone coordinating across places. This converts a time from one zone to another, so you know exactly when a moment falls wherever you need.
How time zones work
Every time zone is defined as an offset from Coordinated Universal Time, or UTC, the global reference. A zone is a certain number of hours ahead of or behind UTC, and converting between two zones is really a matter of their difference in offset. Some common zones:
| Zone | Offset from UTC |
|---|---|
| UTC | +0 |
| London (GMT) | +0 (winter) |
| New York (Eastern) | -5 (winter) |
| Los Angeles (Pacific) | -8 (winter) |
| Central Europe | +1 (winter) |
| India | +5:30 |
| China | +8 |
| Japan | +9 |
| Sydney | +10 (winter) |
Note that some offsets are not whole hours — India runs half an hour off, and a few places use other fractions — which surprises people who assume every zone is a neat hourly step.
The daylight saving complication
The offsets above are marked for winter because many regions shift their clocks for daylight saving time in summer, changing their offset for part of the year. This is what makes time zone conversion genuinely tricky: the difference between two places is not fixed, because they may start and end daylight saving on different dates, or one may not observe it at all. So for a short period around the changeovers, the usual gap between two cities can be an hour different from normal. This is exactly why relying on a conversion that accounts for the actual date, rather than a memorised offset, matters when scheduling across zones — and why cross-border scheduling causes so many missed calls. When precision matters, always confirm against the specific date.
Common questions
How are time zones defined?
As an offset from Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) — a zone is a set number of hours ahead of or behind UTC, and converting is a matter of the difference between two offsets.
Are all time zone offsets whole hours?
No — some are not. India runs half an hour off, and a few places use other fractions, which surprises people expecting neat hourly steps.
Why does the difference between two cities change?
Because of daylight saving time — regions shift their clocks in summer on different dates, so the usual gap can be an hour off around the changeovers.
Is anything uploaded?
No. The conversion happens in your browser.