Online timer

How the timer works

Tap a preset or open Other length, then press Start. The timer notes the exact moment it should finish and counts down against your device's clock, so it stays accurate if you switch tabs. Pause keeps the time that is left, Reset goes back to the length you set, and +1 min adds a minute at any point.

When it reaches zero, the page shows Time's up and plays the alarm you picked from ten sounds generated in your browser — hear them all on the countdown sounds page. Full screen fills the display with the digits, the Display buttons switch between light, dark and high-contrast colors, and while the timer runs, the browser tab shows the time left.

Ways to use a timer

In the kitchen

Time eggs, pasta, rice and tea without watching the clock. Keep the tab open and the alarm will call you back — a 3 minute timer covers instant noodles, and a 4 minute timer suits French press coffee.

In the classroom

Put a timer in full screen on a projector for tests, group work and transitions. The classroom timer adds a large ring that shrinks as time runs out, and a 45 minute timer matches a typical lesson.

For workouts

Use short timers for planks and single sets — a 30 second timer, say — and the interval timer for Tabata and other work-and-rest rounds.

For focus and study

The Pomodoro technique alternates 25-minute focus blocks with 5-minute breaks. The Pomodoro timer runs the whole cycle for you, or start a single 25 minute timer.