To convert a time from one time zone to another, find each zone's offset from UTC on that date and add the difference. On November 10, 2026, New York is at UTC−5 and London at UTC+0, so 9:00 AM in New York is 2:00 PM in London. The same moment is 6:00 AM in Los Angeles and 11:00 PM in Tokyo.
Our free time zone converter does the lookup for you, daylight saving time included: pick a date and time, a zone to convert from and a zone to convert to. This guide explains the method, the daylight saving traps that cause most scheduling mistakes, and how to plan meetings across several zones.
How to convert time between time zones
The reliable method is to go through UTC (Coordinated Universal Time), the reference every zone is measured against. Convert the source time to UTC, then convert UTC to the target zone.
Worked example: 9:00 AM in New York to Tokyo and Sydney
- On November 10, 2026, New York is on Eastern Standard Time, UTC−5. Add 5 hours to get UTC: 9:00 AM + 5 = 14:00 UTC.
- Tokyo is at UTC+9 all year. 14:00 + 9 = 23:00, so it is 11:00 PM on November 10 in Tokyo.
- Sydney is on daylight saving time in November, UTC+11. 14:00 + 11 = 25:00, which rolls over to 1:00 AM on November 11.
Whenever the result passes midnight, the date changes too. Calls between the Americas and Asia or Australia often fall on different calendar days at each end, so always check the date as well as the hour.
UTC offsets for the converter's time zones
The converter covers 14 widely used zones. Their offsets in winter and summer 2026 are below. Sydney and Auckland are in the southern hemisphere, so their daylight saving time runs during the northern winter.
| Time zone | January 2026 | July 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| America/Los_Angeles | UTC−8 | UTC−7 |
| America/Chicago | UTC−6 | UTC−5 |
| America/New_York | UTC−5 | UTC−4 |
| UTC | UTC+0 | UTC+0 |
| Europe/London | UTC+0 | UTC+1 |
| Europe/Paris, Europe/Berlin | UTC+1 | UTC+2 |
| Africa/Cairo | UTC+2 | UTC+3 |
| Africa/Johannesburg | UTC+2 | UTC+2 |
| Asia/Dubai | UTC+4 | UTC+4 |
| Asia/Shanghai | UTC+8 | UTC+8 |
| Asia/Tokyo | UTC+9 | UTC+9 |
| Australia/Sydney | UTC+11 | UTC+10 |
| Pacific/Auckland | UTC+13 | UTC+12 |
Daylight saving time: where most mistakes happen
Daylight saving time (DST) moves clocks forward an hour in spring and back in autumn. It causes three common errors.
Not every zone changes its clocks
Tokyo, Shanghai, Dubai and Johannesburg keep the same offset all year. When New York springs forward, its gap to Tokyo shrinks from 14 hours to 13, even though nothing changed in Tokyo.
Countries switch on different dates
In 2026 the United States moves its clocks forward on March 8 and back on November 1. The UK and the European Union switch on March 29 and October 25. For those few weeks, New York and London are 4 hours apart instead of 5:
- 9:00 AM in New York on October 28, 2026 is 1:00 PM in London.
- 9:00 AM in New York on November 10, 2026 is 2:00 PM in London.
Southern hemisphere zones run the other way. In 2026, Auckland switches to daylight saving time on September 27 and Sydney on October 4. Sydney is 9 hours ahead of London in July and 11 hours ahead in January.
Some local times are skipped or repeated
When New York springs forward on March 8, 2026, the clock jumps from 1:59 AM to 3:00 AM, so 2:30 AM never happens. When it falls back on November 1, the hour from 1:00 to 2:00 AM happens twice. Avoid scheduling anything in those hours.
How to use the time zone converter
- Open the time zone converter. It starts at the current time in UTC.
- Set the Date and time you want to convert, to the minute.
- Choose the From time zone, where that time applies. The lists are searchable, so typing "Tokyo" finds Asia/Tokyo.
- Choose the To time zone.
- Read the Converted time, with its date underneath, followed by the target zone and the Time difference, such as +9 hours or −5 hours. A plus sign means the target zone is ahead.
The converted time and the time difference both use the daylight saving rules in force on the date you entered. Convert 9:00 AM in New York on October 28, 2026 to London, for example, and you get 1:00 PM with a difference of +4 hours, because London has already left summer time and New York has not.
Tips for scheduling across time zones
- Name the zone with every time. Write "3:00 PM New York / 8:00 PM London" rather than "3 PM". City names are clearer than abbreviations: CST can mean US Central Standard Time or China Standard Time.
- Find the overlap first. New York and London share a working-hours window of 9:00 AM to noon in New York, which is 2:00 to 5:00 PM in London. New York and Tokyo barely overlap: 7:00 PM in New York in winter is 9:00 AM the next morning in Tokyo.
- Use UTC for shared records. Logs, deadlines and server times are easiest to compare in UTC. Systems often store moments as Unix timestamps, which the timestamp converter turns into UTC dates.
- Recheck recurring meetings after a clock change. A weekly call fixed in one city's time moves for everyone else when that city switches to or from daylight saving time. Find the change dates on the year calendar and note which meetings fall in the weeks between them.
- Count travel and deadline days in one zone. When you work out how many days remain until a trip or a launch, use the date difference calculator with dates from the same zone so the count is not off by one.
Frequently asked questions
How do I convert time from one time zone to another?
Find both zones' UTC offsets on the date in question, convert the source time to UTC, then add the target zone's offset. A time zone converter does this in one step and applies daylight saving time automatically.
What is the time difference between New York and London?
London is usually 5 hours ahead of New York. For a few weeks each year it is 4 hours, because the two switch to and from daylight saving time on different dates. In 2026 those weeks are March 8 to 28 and October 25 to 31.
Is UTC the same as GMT?
For everyday purposes they show the same time. UTC is the world's time standard and never changes for daylight saving. GMT is the time zone the UK uses in winter; in summer the UK switches to British Summer Time, UTC+1.
Does the time zone converter handle daylight saving time?
Yes. The converted time and the time difference both use the offsets that apply on the date you enter, so a date near a clock change shows the gap as it will be on that day.
Which time zones can I convert between?
The converter offers 14 zones: UTC, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, London, Paris, Berlin, Cairo, Johannesburg, Dubai, Shanghai, Tokyo, Sydney and Auckland. Pick any two as the source and target.
Why does a converted time sometimes land on a different day?
Zones far apart can be on different calendar days at the same moment. 9:00 AM on November 10 in New York is already 1:00 AM on November 11 in Sydney, so the converter shows the new date under the result.