Date Format Converter
Convert dates between UK, US, ISO, written and Unix timestamp formats with auto-detection and copy buttons for each format
Date Format Converter
Convert a date to every major format used around the world
Click on the date field to pick a date, or type it manually
Date Format Differences
Different countries use different date formats. UK: DD/MM/YYYY (15/03/2024). US: MM/DD/YYYY (03/15/2024). ISO 8601: YYYY-MM-DD (2024-03-15) - the international standard, used in computing and increasingly in formal documents globally. Japanese/Chinese: YYYY-MM-DD or YYYYεΉ΄MMζDDζ₯.
Confusion arises crossing borders: '03/04/2024' is March 4 in US, April 3 in UK. ISO format eliminates ambiguity. Use ISO when sharing dates internationally or in code. Date-format converters help translate between systems for documentation, legal docs, or system migrations. Most software libraries (Excel, Python's datetime) handle conversions automatically.
Common Date Format Examples
| Format | Example for 15 March 2024 |
|---|---|
| UK / Most of world | 15/03/2024 |
| US | 03/15/2024 |
| ISO 8601 | 2024-03-15 |
| German | 15.03.2024 |
| French | 15/03/2024 |
| Japanese | 2024εΉ΄03ζ15ζ₯ or 2024-03-15 |
| Long UK | 15 March 2024 |
| Long US | March 15, 2024 |
| Reuters/AP | March 15, 2024 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does the US use MM/DD/YYYY?
Historical typography conventions (large-to-small ordering of importance: month is named, then day in month, then year). Most other countries use DD/MM/YYYY (small-to-large: day first, then month, then year). Both are valid; the ISO 8601 large-to-small (YYYY-MM-DD) is the technical standard.
How do I avoid format ambiguity?
Use ISO 8601 (YYYY-MM-DD) when possible - unambiguous globally. When forced to use slashes, write the month as a name ('15 March 2024' or 'March 15, 2024') instead of a number. For data interchange, ISO is mandatory in JSON, CSV, XML data.