How to convert a UTC datetime to a local datetime using only standard library?

I have a python datetime instance that was created using datetime.utcnow() and persisted in database.

For display, I would like to convert the datetime instance retrieved from the database to local datetime using the default local timezone (i.e., as if the datetime was created using datetime.now()).

How can I convert the UTC datetime to a local datetime using only python standard library (e.g., no pytz dependency)?

It seems one solution 开发者_如何学Pythonwould be to use datetime.astimezone(tz), but how would you get the default local timezone?

---

In Python 3.3+:

from datetime import datetime, timezone

def utc_to_local(utc_dt):
    return utc_dt.replace(tzinfo=timezone.utc).astimezone(tz=None)

In Python 2/3:

import calendar
from datetime import datetime, timedelta

def utc_to_local(utc_dt):
    # get integer timestamp to avoid precision lost
    timestamp = calendar.timegm(utc_dt.timetuple())
    local_dt = datetime.fromtimestamp(timestamp)
    assert utc_dt.resolution >= timedelta(microseconds=1)
    return local_dt.replace(microsecond=utc_dt.microsecond)

Using pytz (both Python 2/3):

import pytz

local_tz = pytz.timezone('Europe/Moscow') # use your local timezone name here
# NOTE: pytz.reference.LocalTimezone() would produce wrong result here

## You could use `tzlocal` module to get local timezone on Unix and Win32
# from tzlocal import get_localzone # $ pip install tzlocal

# # get local timezone    
# local_tz = get_localzone()

def utc_to_local(utc_dt):
    local_dt = utc_dt.replace(tzinfo=pytz.utc).astimezone(local_tz)
    return local_tz.normalize(local_dt) # .normalize might be unnecessary

Example

def aslocaltimestr(utc_dt):
    return utc_to_local(utc_dt).strftime('%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S.%f %Z%z')

print(aslocaltimestr(datetime(2010,  6, 6, 17, 29, 7, 730000)))
print(aslocaltimestr(datetime(2010, 12, 6, 17, 29, 7, 730000)))
print(aslocaltimestr(datetime.utcnow()))

Output

Python 3.3

2010-06-06 21:29:07.730000 MSD+0400
2010-12-06 20:29:07.730000 MSK+0300
2012-11-08 14:19:50.093745 MSK+0400

Python 2

2010-06-06 21:29:07.730000 
2010-12-06 20:29:07.730000 
2012-11-08 14:19:50.093911 

pytz

2010-06-06 21:29:07.730000 MSD+0400
2010-12-06 20:29:07.730000 MSK+0300
2012-11-08 14:19:50.146917 MSK+0400

Note: it takes into account DST and the recent change of utc offset for MSK timezone.

I don't know whether non-pytz solutions work on Windows.

---

Since Python 3.9 you can use the zoneinfo module.

First lets get that time with utcnow():

>>> from datetime import datetime
>>> database_time = datetime.utcnow()
>>> database_time
datetime.datetime(2021, 9, 24, 4, 18, 27, 706532)

Then create the time zones:

>>> from zoneinfo import ZoneInfo
>>> utc = ZoneInfo('UTC')
>>> localtz = ZoneInfo('localtime')

Then convert. To convert between timezones, the datetime must know what timezone it is in, then we just use astimezone():

>>> utctime = database_time.replace(tzinfo=utc)
>>> localtime = utctime.astimezone(localtz)
>>> localtime
datetime.datetime(2021, 9, 24, 6, 18, 27, 706532, tzinfo=zoneinfo.ZoneInfo(key='localtime'))

For Python 3.6 to 3.8 you need the backports.zoneinfo module:

>>> try:
>>>     from zoneinfo import ZoneInfo
>>> except ImportError:
>>>     from backports.zoneinfo import ZoneInfo

The rest is the same.

For versions earlier than that need pytz or dateutil. datutil works similar to zoneinfo:

>>> from dateutil import tz
>>> utc = tz.gettz('UTC')
>>> localtz = tz.tzlocal()

The Conversion:
>>> utctime = now.replace(tzinfo=UTC)
>>> localtime = utctime.astimezone(localtz)
>>> localtime
datetime.datetime(2010, 12, 30, 15, 51, 22, 114668, tzinfo=tzlocal())

pytz has a different interface which is a result of Python's time zone handling not handling ambigous times:

>>> import pytz
>>> utc = pytz.timezone('UTC')
# There is no local timezone support, you need to know your timezone
>>> localtz = pytz.timezone('Europe/Paris')

>>> utctime = utc.localize(database_time)
>>> localtime = localtz.normalize(utctime.astimezone(localtz))
>>> localtime

---

Python 3.9 adds the zoneinfo module so now it can be done as follows (stdlib only):

from zoneinfo import ZoneInfo
from datetime import datetime

utc_unaware = datetime(2020, 10, 31, 12)  # loaded from database
utc_aware = utc_unaware.replace(tzinfo=ZoneInfo('UTC'))  # make aware
local_aware = utc_aware.astimezone(ZoneInfo('localtime'))  # convert

Central Europe is 1 or 2 hours ahead of UTC, so local_aware is:

datetime.datetime(2020, 10, 31, 13, 0, tzinfo=backports.zoneinfo.ZoneInfo(key='localtime'))

as str:

2020-10-31 13:00:00+01:00

---

Windows has no system time zone database, so here an extra package is needed:

pip install tzdata  

---

There is a backport to allow use in Python 3.6 to 3.8:

sudo pip install backports.zoneinfo

Then:

from backports.zoneinfo import ZoneInfo

---

You can't do it with standard library. Using pytz module you can convert any naive/aware datetime object to any other time zone. Lets see some examples using Python 3.

Naive objects created through class method utcnow()

To convert a naive object to any other time zone, first you have to convert it into aware datetime object. You can use the replace method for converting a naive datetime object to an aware datetime object. Then to convert an aware datetime object to any other timezone you can use astimezone method.

The variable pytz.all_timezones gives you the list of all available time zones in pytz module.

import datetime,pytz

dtobj1=datetime.datetime.utcnow()   #utcnow class method
print(dtobj1)

dtobj3=dtobj1.replace(tzinfo=pytz.UTC) #replace method

dtobj_hongkong=dtobj3.astimezone(pytz.timezone("Asia/Hong_Kong")) #astimezone method
print(dtobj_hongkong)

Naive objects created through class method now()

Because now method returns current date and time, so you have to make the datetime object timezone aware first. The localize function converts a naive datetime object into a timezone-aware datetime object. Then you can use the astimezone method to convert it into another timezone.

dtobj2=datetime.datetime.now()

mytimezone=pytz.timezone("Europe/Vienna") #my current timezone
dtobj4=mytimezone.localize(dtobj2)        #localize function

dtobj_hongkong=dtobj4.astimezone(pytz.timezone("Asia/Hong_Kong")) #astimezone method
print(dtobj_hongkong)

---

Building on Alexei's comment. This should work for DST too.

import time
import datetime

def utc_to_local(dt):
    if time.localtime().tm_isdst:
        return dt - datetime.timedelta(seconds = time.altzone)
    else:
        return dt - datetime.timedelta(seconds = time.timezone)

---

I think I figured it out: computes number of seconds since epoch, then converts to a local timzeone using time.localtime, and then converts the time struct back into a datetime...

EPOCH_DATETIME = datetime.datetime(1970,1,1)
SECONDS_PER_DAY = 24*60*60

def utc_to_local_datetime( utc_datetime ):
    delta = utc_datetime - EPOCH_DATETIME
    utc_epoch = SECONDS_PER_DAY * delta.days + delta.seconds
    time_struct = time.localtime( utc_epoch )
    dt_args = time_struct[:6] + (delta.microseconds,)
    return datetime.datetime( *dt_args )

It applies the summer/winter DST correctly:

>>> utc_to_local_datetime( datetime.datetime(2010, 6, 6, 17, 29, 7, 730000) )
datetime.datetime(2010, 6, 6, 19, 29, 7, 730000)
>>> utc_to_local_datetime( datetime.datetime(2010, 12, 6, 17, 29, 7, 730000) )
datetime.datetime(2010, 12, 6, 18, 29, 7, 730000)

---

The standard Python library does not come with any tzinfo implementations at all. I've always considered this a surprising shortcoming of the datetime module.

The documentation for the tzinfo class does come with some useful examples. Look for the large code block at the end of the section.

---

Use time.timezone, it gives an integer in "seconds west of UTC".

For example:

from datetime import datetime, timedelta, timezone
import time

# make datetime from timestamp, thus no timezone info is attached
now = datetime.fromtimestamp(time.time())

# make local timezone with time.timezone
local_tz = timezone(timedelta(seconds=-time.timezone))

# attach different timezones as you wish
utc_time = now.astimezone(timezone.utc)
local_time = now.astimezone(local_tz)

print(utc_time.isoformat(timespec='seconds')) 
print(local_time.isoformat(timespec='seconds'))

On my PC (Python 3.7.3), it gives:

2021-05-07T12:50:46+00:00
2021-05-07T20:50:46+08:00

Pretty simple and uses only standard libraries~

---

The easiest way I have found is to get the time offset of where you are, then subtract that from the hour.

def format_time(ts,offset):
    if not ts.hour >= offset:
        ts = ts.replace(day=ts.day-1)
        ts = ts.replace(hour=ts.hour-offset)
    else:
        ts = ts.replace(hour=ts.hour-offset)
    return ts

This works for me, in Python 3.5.2.

---

A simple (but maybe flawed) way that works in Python 2 and 3:

import time
import datetime

def utc_to_local(dt):
    return dt - datetime.timedelta(seconds = time.timezone)

Its advantage is that it's trivial to write an inverse function

---

Here is another way to change timezone in datetime format (I know I wasted my energy on this but I didn't see this page so I don't know how) without min. and sec. cause I don't need it for my project:

def change_time_zone(year, month, day, hour):
      hour = hour + 7 #<-- difference
      if hour >= 24:
        difference = hour - 24
        hour = difference
        day += 1
        long_months = [1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 10, 12]
        short_months = [4, 6, 9, 11]
        if month in short_months:
          if day >= 30:
            day = 1
            month += 1
            if month > 12:
              year += 1
        elif month in long_months:
          if day >= 31:
            day = 1
            month += 1
            if month > 12:
              year += 1
        elif month == 2:
          if not year%4==0:
            if day >= 29:
              day = 1
              month += 1
              if month > 12:
                year += 1
          else:
            if day >= 28:
              day = 1
              month += 1
              if month > 12:
                year += 1
      return datetime(int(year), int(month), int(day), int(hour), 00)

---

for a specific situation:
　input utc datetime string. // usually from log
　output locale datetime string.

def utc_to_locale(utc_str):
    # from utc to locale
    d1=datetime.fromisoformat(utc_str+'-00:00')
    return d1.astimezone().strftime('%F %T.%f')[:-3]

tests:

>>> utc_to_locale('2022-02-14 00:49:06')
'2022-02-14 08:49:06.000'
>>> utc_to_locale('2022-02-14 00:49:06.123')
'2022-02-14 08:49:06.123'
>>> utc_to_locale('2022-02-14T00:49:06.123')
'2022-02-14 08:49:06.123'

---

This is a terrible way to do it but it avoids creating a definition. It fulfills the requirement to stick with the basic Python3 library.

# Adjust from UST to Eastern Standard Time (dynamic)
# df.my_localtime should already be in datetime format, so just in case
df['my_localtime'] = pd.to_datetime.df['my_localtime']

df['my_localtime'] = df['my_localtime'].dt.tz_localize('UTC').dt.tz_convert('America/New_York').astype(str)
df['my_localtime'] = pd.to_datetime(df.my_localtime.str[:-6])

---

Use timedelta to switch between timezones. All you need is the offset in hours between timezones. Don't have to fiddle with boundaries for all 6 elements of a datetime object. timedelta handles leap years, leap centuries, etc., too, with ease. You must first

from datetime import datetime, timedelta

Then if offset is the timezone delta in hours:

timeout = timein + timedelta(hours = offset)

where timein and timeout are datetime objects. e.g.

timein + timedelta(hours = -8)

converts from GMT to PST.

So, how to determine offset? Here is a simple function provided you only have a few possibilities for conversion without using datetime objects that are timezone "aware" which some other answers nicely do. A bit manual, but sometimes clarity is best.

def change_timezone(timein, timezone, timezone_out):
    '''
    changes timezone between predefined timezone offsets to GMT
    timein - datetime object
    timezone - 'PST', 'PDT', 'GMT' (can add more as needed)
    timezone_out - 'PST', 'PDT', 'GMT' (can add more as needed)
    ''' 
    # simple table lookup        
    tz_offset =  {'PST': {'GMT': 8, 'PDT': 1, 'PST': 0}, \
                  'GMT': {'PST': -8, 'PDT': -7, 'GMT': 0}, \
                  'PDT': {'GMT': 7, 'PST': -1, 'PDT': 0}}
    try:
        offset = tz_offset[timezone][timezone_out]
    except:
        msg = 'Input timezone=' + timezone + ' OR output time zone=' + \
            timezone_out + ' not recognized'
        raise DateTimeError(msg)

    return timein + timedelta(hours = offset)

After looking at the numerous answers and playing around with the tightest code I can think of (for now) it seems best that all applications, where time is important and mixed timezones must be accounted for, should make a real effort to make all datetime objects "aware". Then it would seem the simplest answer is:

timeout = timein.astimezone(pytz.timezone("GMT"))

to convert to GMT for example. Of course, to convert to/from any other timezone you wish, local or otherwise, just use the appropriate timezone string that pytz understands (from pytz.all_timezones). Daylight savings time is then also taken into account.