Handling timestamps in Excel can sometimes be a bit tricky, especially when it comes to Unix timestamps. Unix timestamps are a numerical representation of time, counting the number of seconds since January 1, 1970 (UTC). Since Excel stores dates as serial numbers, converting Unix timestamps to readable dates requires some tweaking. This article will guide you through different methods to convert Unix timestamps to dates in Excel.

Key points:

• Unix timestamps are seconds counted from 1970 and need to be converted in Excel.
• Excel stores dates in the form of serial numbers, so Unix timestamps need to be adjusted.
• The basic conversion uses the formula such as =A2/86400 DATE(1970,1,1).
• VBA can automate Unix timestamp conversion to improve efficiency.
• Format issues may occur, so make sure the date and time are displayed correctly.

Table of contents

Decode the mystery of timestamp

What is a Unix timestamp?

Unix timestamps are a general time meter, counting the elapsed seconds since 00:00:00 UTC (i.e. "Unix Era") on January 1, 1970. It can be considered as an uninterrupted timer that is not affected by time zone or daylight saving time adjustments.

This way of counting makes it a reliable benchmark for synchronization in the computing world.

How Excel understands time

Excel understands time in its own way, essentially treating it as a score of a day. Starting from January 1, 1900, it sets the value of this date to 1 and then increases by 1 per day. Time is calculated by dividing the day into 24 hours, for example, noon or 12:00 PM corresponds to 0.5 because it is the middle of the day.

This score system allows us to easily calculate the time difference, as long as we operate within the framework of Excel. However, remember that when converting from other time systems such as Unix timestamps, some tweaks are required to achieve alignment.

Convert Unix timestamps to date

Method 1: Conversion of basic Unix timestamp to date

To do a basic Unix timestamp to date conversion in Excel, we can use a simple formula. Suppose we have a Unix timestamp in cell A2, the formula will be =INT(((A2/60)/60)/24) DATE(1970,1,1) .

When entering this formula in a new cell, the equation calculates the elapsed seconds from the timestamp, converts it to days, and then adds the number to the base date of January 1, 1970.

The results will display the date in standard Excel date format. After completing this step, you may need to format the results – just right-click the cell, select Format Cell, and format your preferred date.

Excel should now display a human-readable date to help unravel the mystery of the original Unix timestamps you started with.

Method 2: Include time in the conversion

When we include time in the conversion from Unix timestamp to date, we need to make a slight modification to the previous formula. It's not just about calculating the number of days, we also need the exact time.

To do this, enter the following formula into a cell A2 containing the Unix timestamp into a cell, for example B2: =A2/86400 DATE(1970,1,1) . Decompose the Unix timestamp into date and time parts by dividing by 86,400 (seconds of a day).

After entering the formula, you may notice that the results are displayed as dates only.

Don't worry; the time is there, just not formatted as display. Highlight the output, open the Format Cell dialog box, navigate to Date, and select 3/14/12 1:30 PM to display dates with exact hours and minutes.

With this technique, you will convert the mysterious Unix timestamps into a familiar, easy-to-understand date-time format.

Method 3: Use VBA

Instead of manually converting Unix timestamps with formulas in Excel, you can use VBA functions to perform the conversion automatically. Please follow these steps:

Step 1: Press Alt F11 to open the VBA editor.

Step 2: Click Insert > Module.

Step 3: Paste the following code:

 <code>Function UnixToExcel(UnixTime As Double) As Date UnixToExcel = (UnixTime / 86400) DateSerial(1970, 1, 1) End Function</code>

Step 4: Close the editor and use the function in Excel like this:

=UnixToExcel(A2)

This function will easily convert Unix timestamps to Excel-readable dates.

Troubleshooting FAQs

Here are some common problems I encountered when converting Unix timestamps and their solutions:

• Date display is incorrect : Make sure the cell is formatted as date instead of regular or numeric.

• Negative Date : This occurs when the timestamp is earlier than January 1, 1970. Excel does not support negative dates by default.
• Incorrect time adjustment : If the output time looks incorrect, double check if the daylight saving time (DST) adjustment is required.

By dealing with these issues in a systematic way, we can easily correct exceptions and confidently convert Unix timestamps to regular date and time formats.

FAQ

How to quickly identify Unix timestamps in Excel?

To quickly identify Unix timestamps in Excel, note that large integer values, usually 10 digits or more, representing the number of seconds elapsed since January 1, 1970. Look for patterns in the data, such as similar numeric lengths or sequences indicating time progression to determine the Unix timestamp. Also, if you know the approximate date range of your data, calculate the Unix timestamps for those dates and compare it with the values ??in the question.

How to convert Unix timestamp to date in Excel?

To convert Unix timestamps to dates in Excel, you can use the formula =(A1/86400) DATE(1970,1,1) , replacing A1 with the cell containing Unix timestamps. After entering the formula, format the cell to date to view the conversion result. Remember that Unix timestamps are in seconds; make sure they are not milliseconds before applying the conversion.

Can I convert timestamps for different time zones in Excel?

Yes, you can convert timestamps for different time zones in Excel by adjusting the timezone offset between timestamp and UTC. Add or subtract hours to the converted date time according to the time zone difference. For example, for PST (UTC-8), use this formula to subtract eight hours: =(UnixTimestampCell/86400) DATE(1970,1,1)-(8/24) and format the cell as datetime.

How to convert standard time to Unix time in Excel?

To convert standard time to Unix time in Excel, use the formula =(StandardTimeCell-DATE(1970,1,1))*86400 , where StandardTimeCell is a cell containing standard time. Format "StandardTimeCell" into date format and make sure it contains dates and times for accurate Unix time. Remember that Unix time is in seconds.

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