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Military Time Converter
Convert military time to standard time with our free military time converter — or flip it and turn 12-hour AM/PM time into 24-hour military time. Enter 1730 and get 5:30 PM, or enter 12:30 AM and get 0030, in seconds.
Four digits, 0000 to 2359. A colon is fine too: 17:30 works.
Quick reference
| Military | Standard |
|---|---|
| 0000 | 12:00 AM (midnight) |
| 0030 | 12:30 AM |
| 0600 | 6:00 AM |
| 1200 | 12:00 PM (noon) |
| 1730 | 5:30 PM |
| 2359 | 11:59 PM |
How it works
Military time, also called 24-hour time, counts the hours of the day from 00 to 23 instead of repeating 1 to 12 twice with AM and PM. Midnight is 0000, 1:00 AM is 0100, noon is 1200, 1:00 PM is 1300, and the day ends at 2359, one minute before midnight. The minutes never change — only the hour number and the AM/PM label do.
The US military, hospitals, airlines, and emergency services use 24-hour time because it removes all doubt. A shift that starts at 0800 and ends at 1600 is unambiguous, while "8 to 4" could be confused if someone misses the AM or PM. Flight schedules, medical charts, and police logs in the US all rely on the same system for exactly that reason.
To convert military time to standard time, look at the hour. Hours 00 to 11 are morning: 0000 is 12:00 AM, 0030 is 12:30 AM, and 0900 is 9:00 AM. Hour 12 is noon: 1200 is 12:00 PM and 1230 is 12:30 PM. Hours 13 to 23 are afternoon and evening: subtract 12, so 1730 becomes 5:30 PM and 2100 becomes 9:00 PM.
To go the other way, start with the AM/PM label. AM times from 1:00 to 11:59 stay the same hour, just written with a leading zero — 5:30 AM is 0530. The exception is 12 AM: midnight hour times become 00, so 12:30 AM is 0030. PM times from 1:00 to 11:59 add 12 — 5:30 PM is 1730 — except 12 PM, which stays 12, so 12:30 PM is 1230.
Worked example
Emma in Texas is a nurse, and her hospital schedule says her evening shift starts at 1730. Her family uses standard time, so she needs to tell them the start time in AM/PM terms.
Step 1: Write down the military time — 1730.
Step 2: Split it into hour and minutes — hour 17, minutes 30.
Step 3: The hour is between 13 and 23, so subtract 12: 17 − 12 = 5, and add PM.
Step 4: Keep the minutes — 30.
That is the exact result this converter gives for 1730: 5:30 PM. The reverse check works too: 12:30 AM is in the midnight hour, so the hour becomes 00 and the result is 0030 in military time.
FAQ
What is 1730 in military time?
1730 in military time is 5:30 PM in standard 12-hour time. Subtract 12 from 17 to get 5, keep the 30 minutes, and add PM.
What is 12:30 AM in military time?
12:30 AM in standard time is 0030 in military time. Midnight hour times from 12:00 AM to 12:59 AM become 0000 to 0059.
What is 0000 in military time?
0000 in military time is 12:00 AM, midnight, the start of the day in standard 12-hour time.
How do you read military time?
Read the first two digits as the hour from 00 to 23 and the last two as minutes. Hours 00 to 11 are AM, hour 12 is noon PM, and hours 13 to 23 are PM after subtracting 12 — so 1800 is 6:00 PM.