---
name: "tzselect"
section: "8"
platform: "linux"
package: "tzdata"
version: "2026e-1"
release: "Arch Linux 2026-11-01"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/tzselect/8"
---

# tzselect(8)

select a timezone

## NAME

tzselect - select a timezone

## SYNOPSIS

**tzselect** \[ **-c** *coord* \] \[ **-n** *limit* \] \[ **--help** \] \[ **--version** \]

## DESCRIPTION

The **tzselect** program asks the user for information about the current location, and outputs the resulting timezone to standard output. The output is suitable as a value for the TZ environment variable.

All interaction with the user is done via standard input and standard error.

## OPTIONS

- **-c** *coord*

  Instead of asking for continent and then country and then city, ask for selection from time zones whose largest cities are closest to the location with geographical coordinates *coord.* Use ISO 6709 notation for *coord,* that is, a latitude immediately followed by a longitude.  The latitude and longitude should be signed integers followed by an optional decimal point and fraction: positive numbers represent north and east, negative south and west.  Latitudes with two and longitudes with three integer digits are treated as degrees; latitudes with four or six and longitudes with five or seven integer digits are treated as *DDMM, DDDMM, DDMMSS,* or *DDDMMSS* representing *DD* or *DDD* degrees, *MM* minutes, and zero or *SS* seconds, with any trailing fractions represent fractional minutes or (if *SS* is present) seconds.  The decimal point is that of the current locale. For example, in the (default) C locale, **-c +40.689-074.045** specifies 40.689 degrees N, 74.045 degrees W, **-c +4041.4-07402.7** specifies 40 degrees 41.4 minutes N, 74 degrees 2.7 minutes W, and **-c +404121-0740240** specifies 40 degrees 41 minutes 21 seconds N, 74 degrees 2 minutes 40 seconds W. If *coord* is not one of the documented forms, the resulting behavior is unspecified.

- **-n** *limit*

  When **-c** is used, display the closest *limit* locations (default 10).

- **--help**

  Output help information and exit.

- **--version**

  Output version information and exit.

## ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES

- **AWK**

  Name of a POSIX-compliant **awk** program (default: **awk**).

- **TZDIR**

  Name of the directory containing timezone data files (default: **/usr/share/zoneinfo**).

## FILES

- *TZDIR***/iso3166.tab**

  Table of ISO 3166 2-letter country codes and country names.

- *TZDIR***/zone1970.tab**

  Table of country codes, latitude and longitude, timezones, and descriptive comments.

- *TZDIR***/***TZ*

  Timezone data file for timezone *TZ*.

## EXIT STATUS

The exit status is zero if a timezone was successfully obtained from the user, nonzero otherwise.

## SEE ALSO

[newctime(3)](/newctime/3.md), [tzfile(5)](/tzfile/5.md), [zdump(8)](/zdump/8.md), [zic(8)](/zic/8.md)

## NOTES

Applications should not assume that **tzselect**'s output matches the user's political preferences.