Major World Time Zones
| City | Time Zone | UTC Offset |
|---|---|---|
| New York | EST/EDT | UTC−5/−4 |
| Los Angeles | PST/PDT | UTC−8/−7 |
| London | GMT/BST | UTC+0/+1 |
| Paris | CET/CEST | UTC+1/+2 |
| Dubai | GST | UTC+4 |
| Tokyo | JST | UTC+9 |
| Sydney | AEDT | UTC+11 |
Timezone Converter
Convert any time between world time zones instantly. Select a date and time in one zone and see what it is in any other zone. Also shows current time in major cities worldwide.
Time Zone Converter
Frequently Asked Questions
What is UTC?
UTC (Coordinated Universal Time) is the primary time standard by which the world regulates clocks and time. It replaced GMT as the standard but is effectively the same. All time zones are expressed as offsets from UTC (e.g., UTC+5:30 for India, UTC−5 for US Eastern Standard Time).
Why does daylight saving time complicate conversions?
Daylight Saving Time (DST) shifts clocks by 1 hour seasonally in many countries, but not all — some states, countries, and regions don't observe DST. This means the time difference between two zones can change twice per year. This converter uses your browser's built-in timezone handling via the Intl API for accurate conversions.
UTC as the reference
Every zone is defined as an offset from Coordinated Universal Time. New York at UTC−5 means subtracting five hours; Tokyo at UTC+9 means adding nine.
To convert between two zones, go via UTC: remove the source offset, apply the destination offset.
Daylight saving is where it breaks
Offsets are not fixed year-round. Much of North America and Europe shifts clocks forward in spring and back in autumn — but not on the same dates.
For a few weeks each year the usual gap between, say, London and New York is an hour different from normal, because one has changed and the other has not. Meetings scheduled across that window are the single most common cause of missed international calls.
Large parts of the world — most of Asia and Africa, and much of the southern hemisphere on a different schedule — do not observe it at all.
Offsets are not all whole hours
India runs at UTC+5:30, Nepal at UTC+5:45, and parts of Australia at UTC+9:30. Assuming whole-hour offsets produces errors that are easy to miss because they look almost right.
Scheduling across zones
- State the zone explicitly. "3pm ET" rather than "3pm", and give the UTC offset for international participants.
- Beware the date change. Friday evening in Los Angeles is already Saturday in Sydney.
- Use calendar invitations. They carry zone data and convert automatically for each attendee.
- Re-check around transition dates in March, April, October and November.
Abbreviations are ambiguous too — CST can mean Central Standard Time in North America or China Standard Time. Offsets are unambiguous where letters are not.