Convert Unix Timestamp to Date in Excel

Understanding Time Systems in Excel

Excel and Unix measure time differently. Excel's zero-time is January 1, 1900, while Unix's zero-time starts from January 1, 1970. This discrepancy requires an adjustment for accurate conversion.

Converting Unix Seconds to Excel Date

To convert seconds from the Unix epoch to an Excel date format, divide by 86,400 to convert seconds to days. Then add 25,569 to align with Excel's zero-time. Use the formula =A1/86400 + 25569, replacing A1 with your Unix timestamp cell.

Converting Unix Milliseconds to Excel Date

When dealing with milliseconds, divide the Unix timestamp by 86,400,000 and add 25,569. Apply the formula =(A1/86400/1000)+25569 in Excel, where A1 is the cell with your Unix timestamp.

Using Excel's DATE Function

Excel provides a DATE function to simplify the conversion. For seconds, use =A1/(24*60*60) + DATE(1970,1,1). This automatically adjusts for the epoch difference and converts to a date.

Limitations

Excel supports dates up to December 31, 9999. Ensure that your Unix timestamp falls within Excel's date range limitations.

Common Use Cases

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  Analyzing customer purchase patterns by converting their transaction timestamps to readable dates
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  Creating time-based performance reports for social media analytics by converting post timestamps to standard dates
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  Tracking project milestones by converting project event Unix timestamps to calendar dates
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  Monitoring equipment maintenance schedules by converting Unix timestamp logs to human-readable dates
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  Generating time-series visualizations for website traffic by converting access log timestamps to date format

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