Online timer

A countdown timer is for durations rather than clock times: brew for four minutes, hold the plank for ninety seconds, spend twenty minutes on the inbox and then stop. You give it a length, it counts to zero and tells you.

Pick a preset for the common cases or type an exact hours, minutes and seconds combination. Pause and resume without losing the total, and give the timer a label so you remember why you set it.

How to use it

1. Tap a preset to start immediately, or type a duration into the hours, minutes and seconds fields.
2. Add a label if the timer needs context. It shows on screen and in the notification when the timer ends.
3. Choose a sound and volume. Clicking a sound previews it and lets the browser play audio later.
4. Press Start. Pause holds the remaining time; Resume continues from there rather than restarting.

Common durations

• Tea and coffee: 3 to 4 minutes for most black teas, 2 to 3 for green, 4 minutes for a cafetière.
• Cooking: pasta 8 to 12 minutes, soft-boiled egg 6, hard-boiled 9 to 10.
• Exercise: 30 to 45 second intervals for HIIT, 60 to 90 seconds of rest between strength sets.
• Focus: 25 minutes is the classic pomodoro. For full focus and break cycles with long breaks, use the Pomodoro timer instead of setting these by hand.
• Presentations and interviews: 5, 10 and 20 minutes cover most practice runs.

Accuracy and background tabs

Timing is calculated from the clock rather than by counting ticks, so switching tabs or letting the machine idle will not make it drift. Browsers do throttle background tabs, so a countdown may repaint less often while hidden, but the elapsed time it reports when you come back is still correct.

While the tab is hidden, the title in the tab strip shows the remaining time so you can keep an eye on it without switching. When the timer reaches zero it plays the sound on a loop until you stop it, and sends a desktop notification if you have allowed them.

Nothing you enter is sent anywhere. This page has no backend and no account — your settings, alarms and saved entries are stored in your own browser's local storage and stay on this device. Clearing your browser data clears them.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between this and the alarm clock?

A timer counts down a duration — ten minutes from now. An alarm fires at a wall-clock time — 16:20. Use the timer for 'how long', the alarm for 'when'.

Can I run more than one timer at once?

This page runs one timer at a time. For several independent end times, set multiple alarms instead, each with its own label.

Does pausing lose my progress?

No. Pause stores the time remaining, and Resume continues from that point. Reset clears it back to the duration you configured.

Will it still finish on time if I switch tabs?

Yes. The remaining time is computed from the clock, so a background tab cannot make it drift. The display may update less frequently while hidden, but zero arrives on schedule.

How do I stop the sound?

Press Stop sound, or Reset. The alert repeats deliberately until dismissed, so a timer that finishes while you are out of the room is still waiting for you.