Timer

A simple online countdown timer

Set a time, press start and get an alert when it reaches zero. It suits cooking, studying, workouts, meetings, presentations and short breaks. It works in any modern browser, and there is nothing to install.

How to use it

1. Enter hours, minutes and seconds, or tap a preset: 1, 5, 10, 15 or 30 minutes, or 1 hour.
2. Leave Play a sound when time is up ticked if you want an audible beep, or untick it for silence.
3. Press Start. The display and progress bar count down, and the time also appears in the browser tab title, so you can see it while working in another tab.
4. Use Pause to hold the time and Reset to start again.

Timer ideas that work well

• Pomodoro focus sessions. Work for 25 minutes, rest for 5, and after four rounds take a longer break of 15 to 30 minutes. Set the timer to 25 minutes for the work block.
• Cooking. Boil eggs for 6 to 12 minutes depending on how firm you like them, and rest meat after cooking with a separate short timer.
• Exercise intervals. Set 30 to 60 seconds for each round and reset between sets.
• Speaking and presentations. Rehearse against your real time limit.
• Kids’ screen time or chores. A visible countdown makes limits easier to accept.

Keeping the timer accurate

Browsers may slow down background tabs to save power. The timer is calculated from the clock time you started, not by counting ticks, so it stays correct even if the tab is throttled. For the alert to sound, leave the tab open. Some browsers block audio until you have interacted with the page, and pressing Start counts as that interaction. Turn up your device volume before relying on the beep.

Frequently asked questions

Will the timer keep running if I switch tabs?

Yes. Keep the tab open and the countdown continues, and the remaining time shows in the tab title.

Can I set a timer longer than an hour?

Yes. Use the hours field.

Does it work on my phone?

Yes, but keep the screen on and the page open. Mobile browsers may pause pages when the screen locks.