An agreement not to publish before a set moment. It only binds a journalist who has accepted it, so "under embargo" in an unsolicited email is not an agreement.

Does it handle daylight saving?

Yes. Offsets come from the IANA database, so BST against GMT, CEST against CET and the North American and Australian switches resolve for the date you pick.

Which timezones are supported?

Every IANA timezone, with the common press shorthand (PT, CT, ET, GMT/BST, CET/CEST, IST, SGT, JST, AEST/AEDT, UTC) one click away.

Does it work for music, film or event embargoes?

Yes. One lift moment converts the same way for releases, album drops, review windows and research papers.

Where does my embargo data go?

Nowhere. Conversion runs in your browser, and saved setups stay in your own browser storage.

One embargo.
Every timezone.

One lift time, every market it lands in, written the way a newsroom expects to read it.

Embargo lifts09:00 PTThursday 24 September 2026Lifts in59d 3h 30m

New York12:00ET

London17:00BST

Tokyo01:00JSTNext day

Sydney02:00AESTNext day

Step 1 Set the embargoClick any underlined value

Embargo lifts at in , across .

Step 2 Your embargo block

Ready to copy & paste

Tokyo and Sydney are a day ahead.

Format

Time

The block you paste

Embargoed until:
• Los Angeles: 09:00 PDT, Thursday 24 September 2026
• New York: 12:00 EDT, Thursday 24 September 2026
• London: 17:00 BST, Thursday 24 September 2026
• Paris: 18:00 CEST, Thursday 24 September 2026
• Dubai: 20:00 GST, Thursday 24 September 2026
• Tokyo: 01:00 JST, Friday 25 September 2026
• Sydney: 02:00 AEST, Friday 25 September 2026

VerifyOpen to check each market before you send.

Get the line right

A clear embargo line

Embargoed until:
  • 06:00 PT, Thursday 24 September 2026
  • 09:00 ET, Thursday 24 September 2026
  • 14:00 BST, Thursday 24 September 2026
  • 15:00 CEST, Thursday 24 September 2026

Put it in the first few lines of the email. Weekday, date, time, timezone, and the markets your readers actually care about.

Avoid

A weak embargo line

Embargoed until tomorrow morning.

Please hold until 10.

Do not post before Tuesday.

Short lines are risky when the list is global. They leave room for guessing, especially near midnight or a clock change.

Why it matters

Built for the part of PR nobody should do by hand

An embargo only works when the recipient has agreed to it. Once accepted, it gives journalists time to prepare their coverage while keeping everyone aligned on the same publication moment.

The difficult part is rarely the agreement. It is making sure the date, weekday, timezone and daylight saving offset are correct for every market, so the block in your email matches the moment you actually intended.

Timezone shorthand by region

Americas

PT · MT · CT · ET

Anchor to PT or ET. Add CT when the list includes Chicago, Texas or central US trade press.

Europe

GMT/BST · CET/CEST

London switches to BST in summer, mainland Europe to CEST. The date decides which one is correct.

Asia-Pacific

IST · SGT/HKT · JST · AEST/AEDT

A morning lift in the US usually falls on the next day here, so state the weekday.

Before you send

01Check the source timezone.

02Fix the embargo wording before sending.

03Include the weekday and full date.

04Avoid ambiguous timezone labels.

05Put the embargo line near the top of the email.

06Send a test to yourself.

Popular timezone conversions

Quick reference for the pairs journalists ask about most.

PT → ET ET → PT PT → CET ET → CET GMT/BST → ET CET → JST GMT/BST → CET PT → JST IST → ET SGT → PT AEST/AEDT → PT CET → ET

Press release templates Music release embargo Film and game reviews

Frequently asked

The five questions that come up before a launch.

What is an embargo?: An agreement not to publish before a set moment. It only binds a journalist who has accepted it, so "under embargo" in an unsolicited email is not an agreement.
Does it handle daylight saving?: Yes. Offsets come from the IANA database, so BST against GMT, CEST against CET and the North American and Australian switches resolve for the date you pick.
Which timezones are supported?: Every IANA timezone, with the common press shorthand (PT, CT, ET, GMT/BST, CET/CEST, IST, SGT, JST, AEST/AEDT, UTC) one click away.
Does it work for music, film or event embargoes?: Yes. One lift moment converts the same way for releases, album drops, review windows and research papers.
Where does my embargo data go?: Nowhere. Conversion runs in your browser, and saved setups stay in your own browser storage.

Guides

View all guides

G01What time should you set an embargo?Practical starting points for US, European and global launches.G02How to write an embargoed press releaseThe line, the placement, the etiquette.G03Daylight saving collision weeksThe weeks when US and European daylight saving schedules differ.G04Film and game review embargoesReview windows and global lift times.

The person behind it

Built from real PR work

I am Raoul van Wijk. For more than 15 years, I have worked on international launches across gaming, technology and entertainment. Every announcement needed the same small but important job: convert one embargo time into every relevant timezone, check daylight saving, and make sure nobody received the wrong time.

Embargo Timer is the shortcut I wanted during those launches. A project by Wrong Floor.

What this tool also does

Countdown pagesA link you can send with the pitch. It shows the lift moment in the reader's own timezone, nothing else.

Lifts in59d 3h 30m09:00 PT24 SEP 2026

See an example countdown page →