metadata
title: Date.prototype.toTimeString()
short-title: toTimeString()
slug: Web/JavaScript/Reference/Global_Objects/Date/toTimeString
page-type: javascript-instance-method
browser-compat: javascript.builtins.Date.toTimeString
sidebar: jsref
The toTimeString() method of {{jsxref("Date")}} instances returns a string representing the time portion of this date interpreted in the local timezone.
{{InteractiveExample("JavaScript Demo: Date.prototype.toTimeString()", "shorter")}}
const event = new Date("August 19, 1975 23:15:30");
console.log(event.toTimeString());
// Expected output: "23:15:30 GMT+0200 (CEST)"
// Note: your timezone may vary
Syntax
toTimeString()
Parameters
None.
Return value
A string representing the time portion of the given date (see description for the format). Returns "Invalid Date" if the date is invalid.
Description
{{jsxref("Date")}} instances refer to a specific point in time. toTimeString() interprets the date in the local timezone and formats the time part in English. It always uses the format of HH:mm:ss GMT±xxxx (TZ), where:
| Format String | Description |
|---|---|
HH |
Hour, as two digits with leading zero if required |
mm |
Minute, as two digits with leading zero if required |
ss |
Seconds, as two digits with leading zero if required |
±xxxx |
The local timezone's offset — two digits for hours and two digits for minutes (e.g., -0500, +0800) |
TZ |
The timezone's name (e.g., PDT, PST) |
For example: "04:42:04 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)".
- If you only want to get the date part, use {{jsxref("Date/toDateString", "toDateString()")}}.
- If you want to get both the date and time, use {{jsxref("Date/toString", "toString()")}}.
- If you want to make the date interpreted as UTC instead of local timezone, use {{jsxref("Date/toUTCString", "toUTCString()")}}.
- If you want to format the date in a more user-friendly format (e.g., localization), use {{jsxref("Date/toLocaleTimeString", "toLocaleTimeString()")}}.
Examples
Using toTimeString()
const d = new Date(0);
console.log(d.toString()); // "Thu Jan 01 1970 00:00:00 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)"
console.log(d.toTimeString()); // "00:00:00 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)"
Specifications
{{Specifications}}
Browser compatibility
{{Compat}}
See also
- {{jsxref("Date.prototype.toLocaleTimeString()")}}
- {{jsxref("Date.prototype.toDateString()")}}
- {{jsxref("Date.prototype.toString()")}}