Online Timer
Set a timer for any number of minutes and seconds, get a loud in-page alarm when it ends, and keep an eye on the countdown right in your browser tab even after you switch away. No sign-up, nothing leaves your device.
What is the Online Timer?
This online timer is a simple countdown clock that you run right in your browser. You pick how many minutes and seconds you want, press start, and it counts down to zero and rings an alarm so you know the moment time is up. There is nothing to install and no account to create — open the page, set a timer, and walk away. Whether you need a five minute timer for a quick break, a twenty minute timer for the oven, or a focused study block, you set the duration once and let it run.
How to use it
- Type the number of minutes and seconds you want, or tap one of the preset buttons to load a common duration instantly.
- Press Start. The large countdown begins immediately and the remaining time also appears in your browser tab title.
- Use Pause to stop the clock and Resume to continue from where you left off — handy if you get interrupted mid-task.
- When the timer reaches zero, an alarm rings and the display shows that time is up. Press Reset to clear it and set a new duration.
That is the whole flow: set it, glance at it, get the alarm. The goal is to give you the answer and get out of your way.
The method behind it
A countdown timer is really just a moving difference between now and a target end-time. When you press start, the tool records the moment your timer should finish, then updates the display many times a second by recalculating how much time is left. Computing from a fixed end-time (rather than blindly subtracting one second per tick) keeps the count honest even if your device briefly pauses the page in the background.
Two small touches make this timer more useful than a plain countdown. First, the remaining time is mirrored into your browser tab title, so you can switch to email or a document and still read the time left straight from the tab — no need to click back. Second, the alarm is created on the fly with the Web Audio API, which means there is no sound file to load and no external player that might get blocked; your browser simply produces a clear tone when the count hits zero.
Examples
- Set a timer for 5 minutes: enter
05:00, press start, and get an alarm in five minutes — perfect for steeping tea or a short break. - Pomodoro focus block: tap the 25 minute preset to start a focus session, then tap the 5 minute preset for your break when it rings.
- Quick interval: enter
00:30for a half-minute timer when you are doing timed exercise reps and want a sharp cue to switch.
Common use cases
- Cooking and baking: set a timer for boiling, roasting, or resting dough and keep cooking without watching the clock.
- Workouts and intervals: time rounds, rest periods, planks, or HIIT sets with a loud finish cue.
- Studying and focus: run the Pomodoro technique — 25 minutes of focused work followed by a 5 minute break — to stay productive without burning out.
- Exams and timed practice: give yourself a fixed window for a mock test or a writing sprint and stop exactly when time runs out.
- Meetings and presentations: keep a talk or a stand-up on schedule by timing each segment.
Why use this one
Most timers do the bare minimum. This one adds a large, easy-to-read display you can see from across the kitchen, one-tap Pomodoro and quick-duration presets so you never re-type common times, a background tab title that shows the remaining time even when you switch away, and a built-in alarm that needs no download. It runs entirely in your browser, asks for no sign-up, and sends nothing to any server.
It is part of our clock toolkit. If you need to count down to a fixed date instead of a duration, use the Countdown Timer; to count time up from zero with laps, switch to the Stopwatch; and to check the time across cities, try the World Clock.
Frequently asked questions
How do I set a timer for a specific number of minutes?
Type the minutes and seconds you want (for example 5 and 00 for a five minute timer), or tap one of the preset buttons, then press Start. The countdown begins immediately and an alarm sounds when it reaches zero. You can pause and resume at any point, or reset to enter a new duration.
Will the timer keep running if I switch to another browser tab?
Yes. The countdown keeps running in the background, and the remaining time is written into the browser tab title, so you can glance at the tab and see how much is left without switching back. When time is up the alarm rings and the tab title shows that the timer has finished.
What are the Pomodoro presets for?
The Pomodoro technique breaks work into focused 25 minute sessions followed by short 5 minute breaks. The preset buttons let you start a 25 minute focus block or a 5 minute break in one tap, so you can run a full Pomodoro routine without re-typing the time each round.
Does the alarm need a sound file or special permission?
No. The alarm is generated in your browser with the Web Audio API, so there is nothing to download and no external media player to load. Make sure your device is not muted and your volume is turned up. On some phones you may need to interact with the page once (such as pressing Start) before sound can play, which is normal browser behavior.
Is this timer free and does it work without an account?
Yes. The timer is completely free, runs entirely in your browser, and never asks you to sign up or install anything. Nothing you enter is sent to a server, so it works the same whether you are setting a timer for cooking, a workout, studying, or an exam.