Online Timer With Alarm

This online timer counts down from any length of time you set and plays an alarm when it reaches zero. Use a one-click preset or enter your own hours, minutes and seconds, then get on with your task while the timer keeps track for you.

Setting the timer

1. Click a preset: 1, 3, 5, 10, 15, 25, 30 or 60 minutes. Or type a custom duration in hours, minutes and seconds.
2. Pick an alarm sound and press preview to hear it first.
3. Press start, or hit the Space bar.
4. Need a little longer? Press +1 min at any time without restarting.
5. Pause, resume or reset whenever you like. The progress bar shows how much of the time has gone.

Alarm sounds for every setting

Not every room suits the same beep. Choose from classic beep, digital clock, chime, gong, birdsong, a soft tone, or silent. A gong or classic beep cuts through a noisy kitchen, while birdsong or the soft tone is gentler for a quiet office or a meditation break. Silent mode is handy when you only want the visual cue, for example during a presentation.

It keeps time even when you switch tabs

Many browser timers drift or pause when you move to another tab. This one keeps accurate time in background tabs, so you can work in your email or a document and still be alerted on time. Allow browser notifications and you will also get a pop-up message when the countdown finishes, even if the tab is out of sight.

The timer remembers the last duration you used. If you time the same thing every day, such as a 15-minute stand-up or a 3-minute tea, it is ready the moment you open the page.

Everyday uses

• Cooking: pasta, eggs, steeping tea or resting dough.
• Workouts: planks, stretching sets and rest intervals.
• Meetings: timeboxing agenda items or speaking turns.
• Study: short, fixed review blocks before a break.
• Kids: screen time limits, tidy-up challenges and turn-taking.

Timer or countdown: which one do you need?

A timer is for a length of time, such as twelve minutes starting now. A countdown is for a fixed moment on the calendar, such as Friday at 6 p.m. If your goal is a date and time rather than a duration, the create a countdown tool is the better fit, and it gives you a link you can share. If you need to measure how long something takes instead of limiting it, open the stopwatch.

Tips for getting more out of it

Set the timer slightly shorter than you think you need when you want to stay sharp, then use +1 min if the task is nearly finished. For group settings, switch to full-screen or projector mode so the digits are readable across a room. If you run back-to-back focus and break periods, the dedicated pomodoro timer handles the switching for you.

On a phone, keep the screen on or allow notifications, because some mobile browsers limit sound from pages that are in the background.