Countdown Timer
Free HH:MM:SS countdown timer with alarm, browser notification, fullscreen and tab-title countdown. Clock-anchored so it stays accurate in background tabs.
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Tips & Info- Use presets for common durations or set your own custom time
- Enable sound alert to hear an alarm when time is up
- Browser notifications work even when the tab is in background
- Use fullscreen mode for a distraction-free timer experience
Have feedback? Report bugs, suggest features, or share your thoughts — we read them allWhat is a Countdown Timer?
A countdown timer is a virtual clock that counts down from a specified time interval to zero. Our free online countdown timer is perfect for time management, productivity techniques like Pomodoro, cooking, workouts, presentations, studying, and any activity where you need to track time. You set hours, minutes, and seconds, then the timer anchors to your system clock so the remaining time stays accurate even when the tab is in the background. With customizable durations, sound alerts, browser notifications, and fullscreen mode, it's a versatile tool for staying on track and managing your time effectively. Set it once and let the timer keep you accountable!
Key Features
- Quick presets for common durations: 5 minutes (short break), 25 minutes (Pomodoro), 45 minutes (focus time), and 60 minutes (1 hour)
- Custom HH:MM:SS settings - set any duration from seconds up to 23 hours
- Clock-anchored timing - stays accurate even when the tab is in the background, and resyncs instantly when you return to focus
- Large, easy-to-read digital display with hours, minutes, and seconds
- Sound alarm that plays when timer finishes - with multiple beeps to ensure you notice
- Browser notification support - get alerts even when the tab is in background
- Pause and resume functionality - life happens, pause when needed
- Fullscreen mode (with optional dark background) for a distraction-free timing experience
- Auto-save feature - your last timer setting is remembered
- Visual flash effect when time is up
- Tab-title countdown - the remaining time shows in the browser tab so you can watch it from another tab
- Fully responsive design - works on desktop, tablet, and mobile devices
- No registration required - start timing immediately
- Completely free with no limitations
How to Use the Countdown Timer
- Choose a quick preset (5, 25, 45, or 60 minutes) or set a custom time using the hour, minute, and second inputs
- Enable sound alert if you want to hear an alarm when time is up
- Enable browser notifications if you want alerts even when the tab is in background (you'll be asked for permission)
- Click 'Start' to begin the countdown
- Watch the large digital display count down (the remaining time also appears in the browser tab title)
- Click 'Pause' if you need to temporarily stop the timer - you can resume later from the exact remaining time
- Click 'Reset' to clear the current countdown and start over
- Click 'Fullscreen' for a larger, distraction-free timer display
- When the timer reaches zero, you'll see a visual flash, hear a sound (if enabled), and get a notification (if enabled)
Common Use Cases
- Pomodoro Technique - 25-minute focused work sessions followed by 5-minute breaks
- Cooking and baking - time your recipes perfectly
- Workout intervals - HIIT, Tabata, circuit training timers
- Study sessions - focused learning periods with scheduled breaks
- Meditation and mindfulness - timed meditation sessions
- Presentations and speeches - practice with time limits
- Task time boxing - allocate specific time blocks for tasks
- Gaming - speedrun practice or cooldown timers
- Laundry and household chores - remember to switch loads or check on tasks
- Parking meters - track your parking time
- Tea and coffee brewing - steep for the perfect amount of time
- Meeting time management - keep discussions on schedule
- Exercise rest periods - time your rest between sets
- Digital detox - limit social media or screen time
- Kids' activities - screen time limits or timeout timer
Frequently Asked Questions
This is a count-down-from-duration timer, not a count-down-to-a-date timer. Type the hours, minutes, and seconds you want in the three input boxes, or tap a quick preset (5, 25, 45, or 60 minutes), then click Start. The big digital display and the browser tab title both count down from there to zero. You can set anything from one second up to 23 hours, 59 minutes, 59 seconds. The last duration you used is saved in your browser so it loads automatically next time you open the page.
Yes. Browsers throttle background-tab timers — Chrome, since 2020, fires hidden-tab intervals at most about once per minute — which would make a naive per-second counter finish far too late. This timer avoids that by anchoring to your system clock: when you press Start it records the absolute end time, and on every tick it recomputes the remaining seconds as end-time minus the current clock time. So even if the browser stops ticking the timer while you work in another tab, the moment you switch back the display instantly resyncs to the true remaining time (or fires the alarm if it already elapsed). This makes it reliable for Pomodoro sessions, exam timing, presentation time-boxing, and billable work intervals where being off by a minute is not acceptable.
Yes. Leave the Sound Alert switch on and the timer plays a short three-beep alarm (generated with the Web Audio API) the instant it reaches zero. Because of browser autoplay rules, audio only works after you have interacted with the page — clicking Start counts as that interaction. Turn on Browser Notification and grant permission the first time it asks, and you will also get a desktop notification when the timer finishes, even if the tab is in the background, as long as the browser is still running and the tab has not been discarded. There is also a visual screen flash so you notice even with sound off.
If you switch to another tab the timer keeps tracking time correctly because it is anchored to the system clock, and it resyncs the display the moment you return. The tab title also shows the live countdown so you can watch it from elsewhere. If you fully close the tab, the page stops running and the alarm cannot fire — for an important deadline, leave the tab open with notifications enabled, or set a backup alarm in your phone's clock app. To keep a phone screen awake during a session, keep the tab in the foreground or use fullscreen mode.
Click Pause and the timer captures the exact remaining time from the system clock, then stops. The Start button changes to Resume; click it and the countdown continues from precisely where it left off — there is no drift introduced by pausing. This is handy mid-Pomodoro when you are interrupted, or when a meeting runs long and you need to hold the clock. Click Reset at any time to clear the countdown and return to your last set duration.
Fullscreen mode blows the timer up to fill your entire screen for a distraction-free, read-from-across-the-room display — ideal for timed presentations, group workouts, meditation sessions, classrooms, and projectors. Enable the Dark Fullscreen switch before going fullscreen for a high-contrast dark background that is easier on the eyes and looks clean on a big screen. A close button in the corner exits fullscreen, and the layout adjusts automatically if you rotate a phone or tablet.
Yes to both. The tool stores your most recent hours/minutes/seconds in your browser's local storage, so when you come back the duration is already filled in. The whole interface is fully responsive: the digital display, presets, inputs, and fullscreen mode all work on phones and tablets, and nothing needs to be installed. No account, no signup, and no limits — just set a time and start.
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