Time Format Converter - 24h to 12h (AM/PM) and Back

    Your flight departs at 17:45 - is that morning or evening? Convert any clock time between 24-hour format (14:30) and 12-hour AM/PM (2:30 PM). Handles midnight, noon and every edge case.

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    Two formats, one clock

    Your flight departs at 17:45
    That is 5:45 PM - late afternoon, not early morning
    Server log shows 00:15
    That is 12:15 AM - fifteen minutes past midnight
    Conference call at 9:30 AM
    That is 09:30 in the 24-hour format your calendar might use
    Reservation at 12:30 PM
    That is 12:30 - noon stays 12 in both systems
    Night shift starts at 22:00
    That is 10:00 PM - subtract 12 and add PM
    Alarm set for 6:00 AM
    That is 06:00 in 24h - AM hours below 12 stay the same

    Most of the world writes 14:30. The United States, Canada and a handful of other countries write 2:30 PM. This converter translates between the two. Pick a direction, enter the time, read the result.

    How to convert a time - step by step

    1. Conversion direction - choose whether you are converting from 24-hour to 12-hour (AM/PM) or the other way around.
    2. Enter the time - for 24h input, select or type a time like 14:30. For 12h input, type the time with AM or PM (e.g. 2:30 PM).
    3. Read the result - the converted time appears instantly, along with the hour breakdown, period of day and a note for tricky cases like midnight or noon.

    The tricky hours - midnight and noon

    These two cause more confusion than the other 22 hours combined:

    Midnight
    24h: 00:00
    12h: 12:00 AM
    The day starts here. AM begins at midnight.
    Noon
    24h: 12:00
    12h: 12:00 PM
    PM begins at noon. The 12 stays.
    Why is midnight 12 AM and not 12 PM?
    AM stands for ante meridiem (before noon) and PM for post meridiem (after noon). Midnight marks the start of the AM period, so it gets the AM label. Confusing? Yes. That is exactly why aviation, medicine and the military switched to 24-hour time.
    What is 15:00 in AM/PM format?
    15:00 = 3:00 PM. Subtract 12 from any hour above 12 and add PM: 15 - 12 = 3.
    How do I convert 12:30 AM to 24-hour format?
    12:30 AM = 00:30. When the hour is 12 and the period is AM, replace the 12 with 00. This is the only exception in the AM range.

    Three rules that cover every conversion

    24h range Rule 12h result
    00:00 Special case - midnight 12:00 AM
    01:00 - 11:59 Same number, add AM 1:00 AM - 11:59 AM
    12:00 Special case - noon 12:00 PM
    13:00 - 23:59 Subtract 12, add PM 1:00 PM - 11:59 PM

    Going the other way: AM hours stay the same (except 12 AM becomes 00). PM hours get 12 added (except 12 PM stays 12).

    Full 24-hour to 12-hour reference

    24h 12h 24h 12h
    00:00 12:00 AM 12:00 12:00 PM
    01:00 1:00 AM 13:00 1:00 PM
    02:00 2:00 AM 14:00 2:00 PM
    03:00 3:00 AM 15:00 3:00 PM
    04:00 4:00 AM 16:00 4:00 PM
    05:00 5:00 AM 17:00 5:00 PM
    06:00 6:00 AM 18:00 6:00 PM
    07:00 7:00 AM 19:00 7:00 PM
    08:00 8:00 AM 20:00 8:00 PM
    09:00 9:00 AM 21:00 9:00 PM
    10:00 10:00 AM 22:00 10:00 PM
    11:00 11:00 AM 23:00 11:00 PM
    Why does the military use 24-hour time?
    Ambiguity costs lives. Saying 0300 is unambiguous - there is no AM/PM to confuse. Aviation, hospitals and emergency services adopted the same convention for the same reason.
    Does this converter handle seconds?
    Input is HH:MM (hours and minutes). Seconds do not affect the AM/PM designation - the same rules apply regardless. Append the seconds to the result as needed.
    Is there a difference between military time and 24-hour time?
    Functionally, no. Both count hours from 00 to 23. The main difference is notation: military time drops the colon (1430 instead of 14:30) and sometimes appends a time zone letter (e.g. 1430Z for UTC). This converter uses the civilian 24-hour format with a colon.

    Who uses which format

    Format Common in Also called
    24-hour Europe, Asia, Latin America, aviation, military, medicine, IT Military time, continental time
    12-hour United States, Canada, Australia, Philippines, everyday English AM/PM time, civilian time

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