World Clock
See the current time across major cities and timezones worldwide. Clocks update automatically.
Reviewed by the ToolNestr Editorial Team — July 2026
UTC offset distribution across timezones
How many of the 12 major cities fall into each UTC offset range.
Remote Worker
Needs to coordinate standup meetings, deadlines and async handoffs across a globally distributed team spanning 5+ timezones.
Traveler
Checking arrival times, booking connecting flights and adjusting to jet lag while moving between different timezones on a multi-city trip.
International Business
Scheduling investor calls, managing global supply chain logistics and tracking market open/close times across continents.
Event Planner
Coordinating virtual conferences, webinars and live streams where attendees join from dozens of different countries and timezones.
| City | Country | IANA Timezone | UTC Offset |
|---|---|---|---|
| London | UK | Europe/London | UTC+0/+1 (DST) |
| New York | USA | America/New_York | UTC-5/-4 (DST) |
| Tokyo | Japan | Asia/Tokyo | UTC+9 |
| Dubai | UAE | Asia/Dubai | UTC+4 |
| Sydney | Australia | Australia/Sydney | UTC+10/+11 (DST) |
| Paris | France | Europe/Paris | UTC+1/+2 (DST) |
| Singapore | Singapore | Asia/Singapore | UTC+8 |
| Los Angeles | USA | America/Los_Angeles | UTC-8/-7 (DST) |
| Mumbai | India | Asia/Kolkata | UTC+5:30 |
| Berlin | Germany | Europe/Berlin | UTC+1/+2 (DST) |
| Shanghai | China | Asia/Shanghai | UTC+8 |
| São Paulo | Brazil | America/Sao_Paulo | UTC-3/-2 (DST) |
How to use the World Clock
Browse city cards
Twelve major world cities are displayed by default. Each card shows the current local time, date and UTC offset.
Filter or toggle format
Type in the search box to filter cities by name. Toggle AM/PM to switch between 12-hour and 24-hour display.
Check DST status
Look for the DST badge on each card to see if Daylight Saving Time is currently active in that city.
Tips for using the World Clock
Use UTC as a reference point
When scheduling across timezones, convert everything to UTC first. This avoids confusion when DST changes affect different cities on different dates.
Watch for half-hour offsets
Not all timezones are whole hours. India (UTC+5:30), Nepal (UTC+5:45) and Newfoundland (UTC-3:30) use fractional offsets that can trip up manual calculations.
DST start and end dates vary
The Northern and Southern Hemispheres observe DST at opposite times of the year. When it is summer in Europe, it is winter in Australia, so DST status differs.
How timezones work
The Earth is divided into 24 timezone bands, each roughly 15 degrees of longitude wide. As the planet rotates, different regions face the sun at different times. Timezones ensure that noon occurs when the sun is roughly at its highest point in the sky everywhere.
Worked example
UTC vs GMT
Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) is based on solar time at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, London. Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) is an atomic time standard that is far more precise. In everyday usage they share the same offset, but UTC uses leap seconds to stay aligned with Earth's rotation, while GMT does not.
DST explained
Daylight Saving Time (DST) moves clocks forward by one hour during the warmer months to extend evening daylight. About 40% of countries observe DST, primarily in Europe and North America. Clocks spring forward in spring and fall back in autumn. The start and end dates vary by country and hemisphere.
When to use the world clock
The world clock is an essential tool for anyone working across multiple timezones. Remote workers and distributed teams rely on it to schedule meetings that fall within reasonable working hours for all participants. A team with members in London, New York, and Singapore needs to find a meeting time that avoids the middle of the night for any participant. The world clock makes it possible to visually compare times across all locations at a glance and identify overlapping windows of availability for productive collaboration.
International travellers and flight crew members use world clocks to track arrival times, manage jet lag, and plan connecting flights across multiple timezone changes. Knowing that a 14:00 departure from Dubai corresponds to 19:00 in Singapore helps travellers adjust their expectations and plan meals, rest, and activities accordingly. Event planners coordinating virtual conferences must account for attendees joining from dozens of different countries, and a world clock helps them schedule sessions at times that maximise global participation across all timezones.
Financial professionals and global supply chain managers monitor market open and close times across major financial centres. The stock exchanges in New York, London, Tokyo, and Shanghai operate in different timezones, and knowing the exact local time for each market is critical for trade execution, earnings call participation, and logistics coordination. Journalists and media professionals covering international news also need to know what time it is in different parts of the world to determine when sources may be available and when events are likely to occur based on local business hours.
How timezone offsets work under the hood
This tool uses the browser's built-in Intl.DateTimeFormat API with IANA timezone identifiers to determine the current time in each city. IANA timezones, also known as Olson timezones, are a comprehensive database of over 500 timezone identifiers that account for historical and geographical timezone changes, DST rules, and regional exceptions. When you view a city's time, the browser accesses your system's timezone database to compute the correct local time, including any DST adjustments that may be in effect for that location on the current date.
DST detection works by comparing the UTC offset for two dates in the same year: one in January and one in July. If the offsets differ, DST is considered active. This method is reliable for most Northern Hemisphere locations but may produce edge cases for countries near the equator that observe DST on non-standard schedules, or for regions that have changed their DST observance rules. The tool's DST indicator is a best-effort estimate and may not reflect last-minute legislative changes to timezone policies. Your local time detection and search filtering all run locally with no server communication.
Frequently asked questions
What timezone does the world clock use?
Each city shows its local time based on its IANA timezone. The tool detects your local time and displays all city times relative to it.
How often do the clocks update?
The clocks refresh every second so you always see the current time down to the second.
Does it handle Daylight Saving Time?
Yes. Each city card shows a DST indicator when Daylight Saving Time is active for that location.
Can I search for a city not in the grid?
You can type into the search box to filter the preset cities. For full timezone conversion, use the Time Zone Converter tool.
Why is my local city not listed?
The grid covers 12 major cities across all inhabited continents. Your city may still be found by searching in the filter box.
What does UTC offset mean?
UTC offset is the difference between a city's local time and Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). For example, UTC+5:30 means the local time is 5 hours 30 minutes ahead of UTC.
Is my location data sent to a server?
No. Everything runs in your browser. Your location is only used locally to determine your timezone via JavaScript.
Can I compare more than one city at a time?
Yes — all 12 cities are displayed simultaneously so you can compare times across multiple locations at a glance.
Does the 24-hour format work?
Yes. Click the AM/PM toggle to switch between 12-hour and 24-hour time formats for all cities at once.
What is the difference between UTC and GMT?
UTC (Coordinated Universal Time) is the modern atomic time standard. GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) is a timezone. In practice they are often used interchangeably and share the same offset.