How to use the Time Zone Converter

Use the Time Zone Converter to calculate the time differences between two or more cities at a time of your choice. All Daylight Saving Time (DST) switches and time zone changes are automatically taken into account. (*)

Converting local times

Between two locations

1. In the 5 drop-down menus in the first line of the configuration menu, select the date and time (month, day, year, hour and minute) you wish to convert. This refers to local time in the location you wish to convert from.
2. In the second line, select the location to convert from. If the location is not listed in the drop-down menu on the right-hand side, click the “Search” button, type in the location name in the pop-up window, select it from the list and click “Select!”. You can also select a time zone by clicking on the "Time zones..." button.
   
   Caution when using the “Time zones” button: When marking a time zone in the list (step 1) the Time Zone Converter will suggest locations that are in that time zone (step 2). If that location is currently observing a different local time due to Daylight Saving Time (DST), the converter will automatically change the selection to the local time that is actually observed there on the selected date. For example, the tool will suggest Mexico City if “CDT - Central Daylight Time (North America)” is selected. If Mexico is not observing daylight saving time on the specified date, it will automatically switch to Central Standard Time (CST).


3. In the third line, select the location to convert to. See step 2 for options.
4. Click the green “Convert time” button to see the results.

From one location to several others

1. Follow the first 3 steps above, then click on the blue "Add more cities" button.
2. Enter up to 10 additional cities. See step 2 above for options.
3. Click the green “Convert time” button to see the results.

Understanding the conversion results

Once you have clicked “Convert time”, the results are shown in a table, which contains the following sections:

Location

The table of results lists the locations in the order they were selected in the set-up menu. The corresponding Universal Coordinated Time (UTC) time is added at the bottom of the list.

Local time

In this column, the local time and date in the “from location” and the corresponding local times and dates in the “to locations” as well as UTC are listed.

Time zone

Find the time zones for all selected locations at the specified point in time in this column.

UTC offset

This is the time difference between the selected locations and UTC at the specified point in time. Please note that this is not the time difference between the “from location” and the other locations, but the time difference between each location and UTC.

Doing a new conversion

To start a whole new conversion process, click on the link “Convert between other locations”, which appears in the section entitled “Convert again” underneath the table of results.

To return to the set-up page without loosing the selections you have made, click on “Make changes to the current search”.

Easy sharing: The Copy & Paste feature

Click on the grey/black “Copy & Paste” switch above the table to obtain a text version of the results to copy and share via email. To revert to the initial list of results, click on “Table of times”.

Add to calendar

Click on the red “Add to calendar” button to add the selected point in time to your calendar in programs like Outlook, Thunderbird, and iCal.

Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

Why do I have to enter the date?

Some locations switch between standard time and Daylight Saving Time (DST) every year while others don't. Every country has its own rules about when to turn its clocks forward or backward, and by how much. DST is generally observed in the northern hemisphere while countries in the southern hemisphere are on standard time, and vice versa. All this means that the time difference between any two locations is likely to vary in the course of a year. The Time Zone Converter automatically takes into account these switches and the varying time offsets resulting from them. (*)