Frequently Asked Questions

A time zone is a region of the globe that observes a uniform standard time for legal, commercial, and social purposes. Time zones tend to follow the boundaries of countries and their subdivisions because it is convenient for areas in close commercial or other communication to keep the same time.

Most time zones are exactly one hour apart, and by convention compute their local time as an offset from UTC (Coordinated Universal Time). For example, Eastern Standard Time (EST) is 5 hours behind UTC (UTC-5).

There are currently 24 main time zones in the world, corresponding to 24 hours in a day. However, some countries use time zones with 30 or 45-minute offsets, bringing the total number of standard time zones to around 40.

When accounting for Daylight Saving Time variations, the number of time zones in practice is even higher, with approximately 56 different time zones in use around the world.

GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) is the time zone used in the United Kingdom and some other countries in Western Europe. UTC (Coordinated Universal Time) is the primary time standard by which the world regulates clocks and time.

While GMT and UTC share the same current time, they are different in nature: GMT is a time zone, whereas UTC is a time standard. For most practical purposes, UTC and GMT can be considered equivalent, but in scientific and precise applications, UTC is preferred as it is based on atomic clocks and is more precisely defined.

Daylight Saving Time (DST) is the practice of advancing clocks during summer months so that evening daylight lasts longer, while sacrificing normal sunrise times. Typically, regions that use Daylight Saving Time adjust clocks forward one hour close to the start of spring and adjust them backward in the autumn.

The main purpose of DST is to make better use of daylight during the summer months, thereby saving energy on artificial light. However, not all countries observe DST, and the dates for starting and ending DST vary between countries and can change over time.

Our Time Zone Converter is highly accurate and regularly updated to reflect the latest time zone rules and Daylight Saving Time changes worldwide. The converter uses official time zone databases to ensure precision in all conversions.

We maintain our time zone database in accordance with the IANA Time Zone Database (also known as the Olson database), which is the most authoritative source for time zone information.

Yes, our Time Zone Converter automatically accounts for Daylight Saving Time (DST) changes. When converting dates near DST transitions, the system will show a notification and apply the correct rules for that specific date and location.

For historical dates, the converter applies the DST rules that were in effect at that time, even if they differ from current rules.

Yes, you can use our Comparison Table feature to convert multiple times across different time zones simultaneously. This is particularly useful for planning international meetings or events.

To use this feature, click on the "Comparison Table" tab in the converter, add all the time zones you want to compare, enter a reference time in any of the time zones, and view the equivalent times across all selected time zones.

Yes, our Time Zone Converter is completely free to use. There are no hidden fees, subscriptions, or premium features that require payment.

We believe that accurate time zone conversion should be accessible to everyone, which is why we offer this service at no cost.

Unexpected conversion results are most commonly due to Daylight Saving Time transitions. If you're converting a date near a DST change, the result might be different from what you expect.

Other possible reasons include:

• Selecting the wrong time zone (e.g., confusing EST with EDT)
• Not accounting for date changes when crossing the International Date Line
• Using an outdated browser that doesn't properly support the converter's features

If you believe there's an error in the conversion, please contact us with details of your conversion.

Yes, once you've loaded the Time Zone Converter in your browser, it can function offline. The converter uses client-side JavaScript to perform calculations, so an internet connection is only needed for the initial page load.

For the best offline experience, we recommend adding the converter to your home screen on mobile devices or bookmarking it on desktop browsers.

Our converter primarily uses standard time zone identifiers (like EST, PST, GMT) rather than specific cities. If you can't find a particular city, try selecting the time zone that the city belongs to.

For example, if you're looking for Chicago, select "CST/CDT (Central Time)" as Chicago follows Central Time.

If you believe an important location is missing from our database, please let us know, and we'll consider adding it in a future update.

We currently don't offer an embeddable widget version of our converter. However, you're welcome to link to our website or to specific conversion pages from your site.

If you're interested in a custom embedding solution for your website, please contact us to discuss potential options.

We welcome feedback to help improve our Time Zone Converter. If you've found an error, have a suggestion for improvement, or want to request a new feature, please use our Contact Form.

When reporting an error, please provide as much detail as possible, including:

• The source and target time zones
• The date and time you were converting
• The result you received and what you expected instead
• Your browser and device information

Currently, we don't offer a dedicated mobile app. However, our website is fully responsive and optimized for mobile devices, providing an app-like experience when accessed from your mobile browser.

For quick access on mobile devices, you can add our website to your home screen:

• On iOS: Tap the share icon and select "Add to Home Screen"
• On Android: Tap the menu button and select "Add to Home screen" or "Install app"