GMT — 4 time zones
GMT is used for 4 unrelated time zones. Each one is listed below with its own clock — an GMT timestamp with no region attached cannot be converted safely.
Current time in GMT
Greenwich Mean Time
07:46
Sunday, 2 August 2026
GMT = UTC+0 · the same as UTC
GMT
07:46
Sunday, 2 August 2026
GMT = UTC+0 · the same as UTC
Western European Standard Time
07:46
Sunday, 2 August 2026
GMT = UTC+0 · the same as UTC
Azores Summer Time
07:46
Sunday, 2 August 2026
GMT = UTC+0 · the same as UTC
Shown for 2 Aug 2026 07:46 UTC. The clock goes live as soon as scripts load.
UTC offsets
UTC+0
Type
Mixed
Standard time in one region, daylight saving in another
Seasonal counterpart
AZOT / BST / IST / WEST
The letters the same zones use for the other half of the year
Meanings
4
Ambiguous — always state a region
What GMT can mean
Time zone abbreviations were never registered or coordinated, so the same letters were adopted independently in different parts of the world. These are the meanings in civil use, ordered by how many cities on this site use them.
| Meaning | UTC | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Greenwich Mean Time | UTC+0 | United Kingdom, Ireland, Iceland, Ghana, Senegal |
| GMT | UTC+0 | Morocco |
| Western European Standard Time | UTC+0 | Portugal, Spain |
| Azores Summer Time | UTC+0 | Portugal |
Is GMT in force right now?
A zone only carries this abbreviation for part of the year. This is which of them were on it at 2 Aug 2026 07:46 UTC; the list is re-derived against your own clock when scripts load.
On GMT now
- Atlantic/Reykjavik — Reykjavik
- Africa/Accra — Accra
- Africa/Dakar — Dakar
- Atlantic/Azores — Ponta Delgada
Using a different abbreviation
- Europe/London — on BST (UTC+1)
- Europe/Dublin — on IST (UTC+1)
- Africa/Casablanca — on WEST (UTC+1)
- Europe/Lisbon — on WEST (UTC+1)
- Atlantic/Canary — on WEST (UTC+1)
Greenwich Mean Time (UTC+0) alternates with BST and IST across the year.
GMT (UTC+0) alternates with WEST across the year.
Western European Standard Time (UTC+0) alternates with WEST across the year.
Azores Summer Time (UTC+0) alternates with AZOT across the year.
Writing “GMT” for a date in the other half of the year is the most common time zone mistake in meeting invitations.
Convert GMT to other time zones
Greenwich Mean Time (UTC+0)
GMT (UTC+0)
Western European Standard Time (UTC+0)
Azores Summer Time (UTC+0)
City clocks reflect whatever their zone is doing; where a city observes daylight saving time, its difference from GMT changes twice a year. Use the time zone converter for a specific date.
Time zones and cities that use GMT
Greenwich Mean Time · UTC+0
Europe/London
United Kingdom · changes clocks (GMT ↔ BST)
London Belfast Birmingham Bristol Cardiff Edinburgh Glasgow Leeds Liverpool Manchester
GMT · UTC+0
Western European Standard Time · UTC+0
Azores Summer Time · UTC+0
Why GMT is not an identifier
GMT is shorthand, not a standard. There is no registry of time zone abbreviations, no authority that assigns them, and nothing preventing two regions from adopting the same three letters — which is exactly what happened here: Greenwich Mean Time, GMT, Western European Standard Time, Azores Summer Time all answer to GMT.
For anything a machine will read — a calendar invitation, a database column, an API response — use the IANA identifier of the zone (Europe/London, for example) or an explicit UTC offset alongside the date. The identifier survives a change in the law; GMT and its 0 minutes offset do not.
Frequently asked questions
What does GMT stand for?
GMT has 4 meanings in civil use: Greenwich Mean Time at UTC+0; GMT at UTC+0; Western European Standard Time at UTC+0; Azores Summer Time at UTC+0. Which one is meant depends entirely on context, which is why GMT should not be used where the reader cannot infer the region.
What is GMT in UTC?
It depends on the meaning: Greenwich Mean Time is UTC+0, GMT is UTC+0, Western European Standard Time is UTC+0, Azores Summer Time is UTC+0. An GMT timestamp with no region attached cannot be converted safely.
What is the difference between GMT and BST and IST?
GMT as Greenwich Mean Time is the standard-time form; BST and IST is what those same zones use during daylight saving time, one hour ahead. A summer date written "GMT" is usually a mistake for BST and IST.
Which time zone should I use instead of GMT?
Use an IANA identifier — Europe/London, Europe/Dublin and Atlantic/Reykjavik and 2 more for Greenwich Mean Time — or state the UTC offset with the date. Abbreviations are not identifiers: they are not unique, they are not registered anywhere, and half of them change with the season. Calendar software resolves this automatically when you pick a city rather than typing letters.