Online timer

How to use the online timer

The timer counts down the time you set and ends with a clear alarm. Enter hours, minutes and seconds above, or pick one of the ready-made countdowns — in seconds, in minutes or in hours.

• Set the time — set the exact length you need.
• Press Start — the countdown stays on screen the whole time.
• Keep the tab open — the alarm only sounds while the tab stays open.

A timer earns its keep in the kitchen, at the gym, during study blocks and anywhere else a few minutes either way actually matters. It works in any modern browser, with no app and no account.

A countdown timer and an alarm solve different problems, even though people often ask for one when they mean the other. An alarm clock fires at a fixed point on the clock, like 7 am; a timer counts down from a duration you choose, like 20 minutes, and it doesn't matter what time it is when you start it. This section covers 444 preset duration pages built for exactly that.

Each page is dedicated to one length of time, so a 10-minute timer, a 25-minute timer or a 90-minute timer all load as their own simple countdown, with large digits and a clear alert sound when the time runs out. There's no dial to drag or dropdown to open, which matters when you're mid-task and just need the countdown running.

Common ways people use it

• Cooking and baking, where a few minutes either way changes the result
• Focused work blocks, including the classic 25-minute Pomodoro session
• Workouts, rest periods between sets, and timed circuits
• Exam practice and timed writing exercises
• Presentations and speeches kept to a strict length

Like the alarm clock, the timer runs in the browser tab rather than as a background service, so the tab needs to stay open for the countdown and its sound to work. For a kitchen timer running next to the stove or a work session on the same screen you're using anyway, that's rarely a problem in practice.

If you already know the exact duration you want, searching for it directly, such as "15 minute timer" or "45 minute timer", usually lands you straight on the matching page, saving the trouble of adjusting a generic countdown by hand.