LDAP, Active Directory & Filetime Timestamp Converter
There are at least 2 types of LDAP timestamps, an 18-digit timestamp and a timestamp that is based on a Year-Month-Day format.
Convert 18-digit LDAP/FILETIME timestamps to human-readable date
These are also known as 'Windows NT time format', 'Win32 FILETIME or SYSTEMTIME' or NTFS file time. They are used in Microsoft Active Directory for attributes like pwdLastSet,accountExpires, LastLogon,LastLogonTimestamp, and LastPwdSet. The timestamp represents the number of 100-nanosecond intervals (where 1 nanosecond is one billionth of a second) since January 1, 1601 UTC.
Enter number in full or in scientific/exponential notation: Milliseconds are discarded (last 7 digits of the LDAP timestamp).
Create an 18-digit LDAP timestamp
Other converters & programming
Microsoft Windows:
In Windows (command line) use:
w32tm.exe /ntte 131001091660000000PowerShell:
(Get-Date 1/1/1601).AddDays(131001091660000000/864000000000)Convert YMD LDAP timestamps
These LDAP timestamps are much simpler and start with the year. The timestamp has the following format:YYYYMMDDHHMMSST. T is the time zone which is usually 'Z' (Zulu Time Zone = UTC/GMT). The tool below can only handle Zulu timestamps.
What is LDAP / Active Directory Timestamp?
LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol) and Active Directory use a special timestamp format that counts 100-nanosecond intervals since January 1, 1601, 00:00:00 UTC. This is different from Unix timestamps, which count seconds since January 1, 1970. LDAP timestamps are also known as Windows FILETIME and are commonly used in Windows systems, Active Directory, and enterprise directory services for storing creation and modification times.
LDAP Timestamp Types:
- 18-digit LDAP/FILETIME: 100-nanosecond intervals since January 1, 1601 UTC (most common format)
- YMD Format: YYYYMMDDHHMMSST format where T is timezone indicator (usually Z for UTC)
Conversion formulas:
- LDAP to Unix:
unix_ms = (ldap - 116444736000000000) / 10000 - Unix to LDAP:
ldap = (unix_ms * 10000) + 116444736000000000
Use cases: Active Directory administration, LDAP directory services, Windows system integration, NTFS file time conversion, Windows event log analysis, and converting Windows timestamps for cross-platform compatibility. This tool is essential for system administrators and developers working with Windows-based infrastructure.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is an LDAP timestamp?
LDAP timestamps, also known as Windows FILETIME, are used by Active Directory and Windows systems. They count 100-nanosecond intervals since January 1, 1601, 00:00:00 UTC, and are stored as 64-bit integers.
How do I convert an LDAP timestamp to Unix timestamp?
Enter your LDAP timestamp in the input field and click convert. The tool will automatically convert it to a Unix timestamp and display the human-readable date. LDAP timestamps are much larger numbers than Unix timestamps due to their different epoch and precision.
What is the difference between LDAP and Unix timestamps?
LDAP timestamps use January 1, 1601 as the epoch and measure in 100-nanosecond intervals, while Unix timestamps use January 1, 1970 as the epoch and measure in seconds. LDAP timestamps are typically 18-19 digits long, while Unix timestamps are 10 digits (seconds) or 13 digits (milliseconds).