Discord Timestamps Explained

A discord timestamp is a piece of text that shows a specific date and time. When someone views your message, Discord automatically adjusts that time to their own timezone. This is useful for announcing events, deadlines, or any time-sensitive information.

The timestamp looks like a clickable date link. For example, if you type the right code, it might show as "Tomorrow at 3:00 PM" for someone in New York and "Tomorrow at 8:00 PM" for someone in London. The timestamp itself is always the same, but how it displays changes per user.

To make a discord timestamp, you first need a Unix timestamp. A Unix timestamp is the number of seconds that have passed since January 1, 1970, at 00:00 UTC. You can get one by using an online converter or a bot command on Discord.

Many free Discord tools sites offer a timestamp generator. You simply pick a date and time, and the tool gives you the Unix number. For example, the timestamp for December 25, 2025 at 12:00 PM UTC is 1766664000. Write that number down, because you will need it for the next step.

Once you have your Unix timestamp, you wrap it in a special code. The basic format is <t:UNIXNUMBER>. Replace UNIXNUMBER with your actual number. For example, <t:1766664000> will show as a relative time like "in 2 years" or "December 25, 2025" depending on how Discord renders it.

You can also add a style letter after the number to change how the timestamp looks. The full syntax is <t:UNIXNUMBER:STYLE>. The style is a single letter: t for short time, T for long time, d for short date, D for long date, f for short date and time, F for long date and time, and R for relative time. For instance, <t:1766664000:F> shows "December 25, 2025 12:00 PM".

Here is what each style does. The style t shows only the time, like "12:00 PM". The style T shows time with seconds, like "12:00:00 PM". The style d shows the date in short form, like "12/25/2025". The style D shows the full date, like "December 25, 2025".

The style f is the default and shows date and time without seconds, like "December 25, 2025 12:00 PM". The style F adds the day of the week, like "Thursday, December 25, 2025 12:00 PM". The style R shows a relative time like "in 2 years" or "2 years ago". Choose the one that fits your message best.

A big gotcha is timezones. The Unix timestamp must be in UTC. If you use your local time without converting, the timestamp will be wrong for everyone. Always double check that your online converter or tool is set to UTC.

Another gotcha is that the timestamp only works in chat messages, not in channel descriptions or server settings. You also cannot use it in nicknames or status text. The timestamp is plain text, so you can edit it later, but the displayed time will not update.

One more tip: if you want to test a timestamp, use the relative style R. It is easy to see if the number is correct because it will say something like "in 5 minutes" or "2 hours ago". This helps you catch mistakes before sending the timestamp to a whole channel.