Online timer
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About this timer
A free countdown timer that runs in your browser and sounds an alarm when it reaches zero. Nothing to install, no account, no cost — set a duration and press Start.
How to use it
Enter any duration in hours, minutes and seconds, or tap one of the presets — 1, 3, 5, 10, 15 or 30 minutes — for the durations people reach for most often. Press Start and the countdown begins.
Pause stops the countdown without losing your place, and Resume continues from exactly where it stopped. Reset returns the timer to the duration you set, ready to run again.
When the timer reaches zero it sounds an alarm, the display turns orange, and the browser tab title changes to say time is up — so you can tell from another tab without switching back to look.
What people use it for
- Focused work — the Pomodoro technique uses 25-minute work blocks with short breaks, which is why the presets cover those lengths.
- Cooking and baking — anything with a fixed time, from pasta to a proving loaf.
- Workouts — timing circuits, rest periods and holds.
- Studying and exams — practising under real time limits.
- Teaching — giving a class a visible, fixed amount of time for an activity.
- Meditation and breathing — a quiet countdown with a gentle finish.
- Games and quizzes — turn limits and round timers.
Why it does not drift
The timer works out its finish time the moment you press Start, then counts toward that fixed point. It does not tick downward second by second, which is how most browser timers lose accuracy.
That difference matters because browsers deliberately slow down tabs you are not looking at. A timer built on ticks can finish minutes late if you switch away; this one finishes when it should, whatever you were doing in the meantime.
Common questions
Will the alarm sound if I am on another tab?
Yes, as long as the tab is still open. The sound plays and the tab title changes to say time is up, so you will notice it from elsewhere on your screen.
What if I close the tab?
The timer stops and is lost. It runs in the page itself, so the tab needs to stay open — minimised or in the background is fine, closed is not.
Why did the alarm not make a sound?
Browsers block audio until you interact with the page, which is why the sound unlocks when you press Start. If you still hear nothing, check that the tab is not muted and that your device volume is up.
Can I run more than one timer at once?
Not on a single page. You can open the timer in a second browser tab to run another one alongside it.
Can I set a timer for several hours?
Yes. The hours field accepts long durations, so multi-hour countdowns work the same way as short ones.
Is there a countdown to a specific date instead?
Yes — the countdown pages handle dates rather than durations, and there is one for every major holiday.