Quick answer. Pick a preset (1, 5, 10, 15 or 30 minutes) or type hours, minutes and seconds, then press Start. For “how many days until”, switch to Count down to a date, pick the date and press Start countdown.
How to use the countdown timer
- Choose a mode. Timer counts down a length of time, like 25 minutes of study. Count down to a date shows the days, hours, minutes and seconds until a moment on the calendar.
- Set the time. Tap a preset or type hours, minutes and seconds. You can type 90 in minutes and it simply runs for an hour and a half.
- Start, pause, resume. Press Start or the space bar. Pause freezes the time left exactly; Resume carries on from there. Reset goes back to the time you set.
- Hear the alarm. At zero the display flashes, your phone vibrates where supported, and a beeping alarm plays for about 30 seconds or until you press Stop alarm.
Popular timer lengths
| Timer | Good for |
|---|---|
| 1 minute | Plank holds, quick speaking drills, brushing teeth with kids |
| 5 minutes | Short breaks, steeping tea, warm-ups, timed quiz questions |
| 10 minutes | Classroom activities, stand-up meetings, power naps |
| 15 minutes | Presentations, exam reading time, cleaning sprints |
| 25–30 minutes | Pomodoro focus sessions, homework blocks, cooking |
Days until a date
Date mode answers questions like “how many days until Christmas” or “how long until my exam”. Choose the date and time in your own local time and add an optional name. The big display then shows days and the remaining hours, minutes and seconds, and the browser tab title updates so you can see the count from any other tab.
Press Copy share link to get a web address such as /tools/countdown-timer/?to=2026-12-25T00:00:00Z&title=Christmas. Anyone who opens it sees the same countdown running straight away. The link stores the moment in universal time (the Z at the end), so a friend in London and a friend in Karachi both reach zero at exactly the same instant, each shown in their own local clock.
Why this timer stays accurate
Browsers slow down timers in background tabs to save battery, and a timer that just subtracts one second per tick slowly falls behind. This tool works differently: when you press Start it records the exact end time, and every update compares the current clock (Date.now()) to that end time. Even if a tick arrives late, the number shown is always right, and the alarm goes off at the correct moment. In a background tab the display may update only once per second, but it never drifts.
- Keep the tab open. Closing the tab or putting a phone fully to sleep stops the page, as with any web timer.
- Sound needs one tap. Browsers only allow audio after you interact with the page, so start the timer with a click or the space bar.
- Fullscreen turns the display into a large clock for a classroom, gym or stage.
Frequently asked questions
Is this online countdown timer free?
Yes. It is free with no sign-up and no limit on how many timers you run.
Will the alarm ring if I switch tabs?
Yes, as long as the tab stays open. The timer checks the real clock, so it finishes on time even in the background. Start it with a click so the browser allows sound.
How do I count down the days until a date?
Switch to “Count down to a date”, choose the date and time, add an optional name and press Start countdown. The display shows days, hours, minutes and seconds left.
Can I share my countdown?
Yes. Press Copy share link. The link includes the exact moment and the event name, so anyone who opens it sees the same live countdown.
Does pausing lose any time?
No. Pause stores exactly how much time was left, and Resume continues from that point.
Can I set a timer longer than an hour?
Yes. Enter hours, minutes and seconds, up to 999 hours. For anything longer, date mode is easier.
Is anything I type stored or uploaded?
No. The timer runs in your browser tab. Event names only appear in a share link if you choose to copy one.