Countdown Timer
Set a time from one second to 23 hours, 59 minutes and 59 seconds, or tap a preset from 1 to 60 minutes, and press Start. When it reaches zero the display flashes and three beeps play. Use it for exams, talks, classroom activities and anything else with a fixed time limit. Free, no sign-up.
05:00
Set duration
How to Use the Countdown Timer
- 1. Choose the time. Type hours, minutes and seconds under Set duration, or tap a preset: 1, 5, 10, 15, 30 or 60 minutes. The display updates straight away.
- 2. Press Start. The digits count down. Press Pause to hold the time and Start to carry on from where it stopped.
- 3. Hear the alarm. At zero the display pulses, Time's up! appears and three short beeps play. The timer then stops; it does not repeat.
- 4. Reset when you need it again. Reset puts the time back to what is in the three boxes, ready for another run.
Change the time while it is stopped
Editing the boxes or tapping a preset sets a new time only when the timer is not running. If you change a box mid-countdown the number you typed is kept, but the clock carries on with the old time until you press Reset.
Planning an Exam or a Talk Against the Clock
A countdown is most useful when you decide in advance what each minute is for. For an exam, divide the time you have by the marks available to get minutes per mark, and keep a few minutes at the end to check your work.
Example: a 90-minute exam worth 60 marks
No reserve
90 ÷ 60 = 1.5 minutes per mark
10 minutes held back for checking
80 ÷ 60 ≈ 1.33 minutes per mark, so a 10-mark question gets about 13 minutes
Timer setting
Set 1 hour 30 minutes, or run the exam in two timed halves of 45 minutes to catch yourself running behind
The same idea works for a presentation: divide the slot into sections, rehearse with the timer running, and note where you were at the halfway beep. If you want an estimate of how long a script takes to read aloud, the Reading Time Calculator gives a starting figure to test against the clock.
Running It in a Classroom
- Make it visible. The digits are large; use your browser's full-screen mode or zoom to show them across a room.
- Check the sound first. The beep is made by your browser at your device's volume, so test it before the lesson and turn the speakers up.
- Keep the tab open. Browsers slow down timers in hidden tabs. The time shown is still correct when you look, but the alarm can arrive late if the tab has been hidden for several minutes, so keep it in a window you can see.
- Use short presets for transitions. A 1-minute or 5-minute timer is a gentle way to end a discussion or tidy-up.
Which Tool Do You Need?
| If you want… | Use |
|---|---|
| One fixed time with an alarm at the end | This Countdown Timer |
| Work and break phases that repeat automatically | Pomodoro Timer |
| To count up from zero and record laps | Stopwatch |
| Background sound that fades out after a set time | White Noise Generator |
| A timed writing session with a word count | Freewriting Tool |
Frequently Asked Questions
- How do I set a countdown timer online?
- Type the hours, minutes and seconds you want, or tap one of the presets (1, 5, 10, 15, 30 or 60 minutes), then press Start. You can pause and resume at any point, and Reset returns the clock to the time in the boxes.
- How long can the countdown be?
- Up to 23 hours, 59 minutes and 59 seconds. The hour box stops at 23, the minute and second boxes stop at 59, and longer times are not possible. Anything over an hour is shown as hours:minutes:seconds.
- What happens when the timer reaches zero?
- The digits pulse, the words Time's up! appear, the tab title changes to match and three short beeps play. The timer then stops. It does not loop, so press Reset and Start for another round.
- Does it work in a background tab?
- The remaining time is calculated from your device's clock, so it is right whenever you switch back. Browsers throttle timers in hidden tabs, though, and Chrome can check them only about once a minute after five minutes of being hidden, so the beeps may come late. The time left is also shown in the tab title so you can read it from another tab.
- Can I make the alarm louder or choose a different sound?
- No. The alarm is a fixed beep produced by your browser, so its loudness depends on your device volume. If you need a different sound, set a phone or computer alarm as a backup for something important.
- Is my timer saved or sent to a server?
- No. It runs entirely in your browser and nothing is stored or uploaded. Reloading the page resets it to 5 minutes.