Our countdown timer is a free, no-download tool that works in any browser. Set any duration from 1 second to 99 hours. Features include start/pause/reset controls, an alarm sound at 00:00, full-screen mode for presentations and classrooms, and quick presets for common intervals like 5 minutes, 25 minutes (Pomodoro), and 1 hour.
Countdown Timer
Our online countdown timer lets you set any duration and count down with a visual display and alarm sound when time runs out. Use it for Pomodoro work sessions, classroom activities, presentations, cooking timers, workout intervals, or meeting time limits. Switch to Date Countdown mode to see exactly how many days, hours, minutes, and seconds remain until any upcoming event — holidays, birthdays, launches, or deadlines.
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4.9
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Updated: April 2026
New
05:00
Set Duration
Hours
Minutes
Seconds
0
Days
00
Hours
00
Mins
00
Secs
Quick Events
Click anywhere to exit full screen
timer Common Presets
🍅 Pomodoro work
25 min
Pomodoro break
5 min
Long break
15–30 min
Quick meeting
15 min
Standard meeting
30–60 min
Exam / Quiz
45–90 min
Cooking pasta
8–12 min
psychology Pomodoro Technique
1.
Work focused for 25 minutes
2.
Short break 5 minutes
3.
Repeat 4 times
4.
Long break 15–30 min
Named for the tomato-shaped kitchen timer used by Francesco Cirillo in the late 1980s.
lightbulb Quick Tips
- •Keep the tab active for accurate timing
- •Click ⛶ for full-screen — great for classrooms
- •Label timer: "Quiz", "Cookies", "Meeting"
- •Progress bar turns red in final 20%
- •Date Countdown: updates live every second
How to Use This Calculator
1
Set Duration
Enter hours, minutes, and seconds — or click a preset (5 min, 10 min, 25 min Pomodoro, etc.).
2
Start Timer
Click the Start button. The large countdown display ticks down second by second.
3
Pause / Resume
Click Pause to freeze the timer at any moment. Click Resume to continue from exactly where you paused.
4
Alarm & Reset
When the countdown reaches 00:00, an alarm sounds. Click Reset to return to your original duration and set it again.
The Formula
A countdown timer subtracts elapsed time from the set duration each second. For date countdowns, the difference between the target datetime and the current datetime is calculated and broken down into days, hours, minutes, and seconds.
Remaining = Target Time − Current Time
lightbulb Variables Explained
- HH:MM:SS Hours : Minutes : Seconds display format
- Days Full 24-hour periods remaining until target date
- Alarm Audio notification triggered when countdown reaches 00:00:00
tips_and_updates Pro Tips
1
Use the Pomodoro preset (25 min) for focused work sessions — research shows 25-minute focused intervals boost productivity
2
Full-screen mode is ideal for classrooms and presentations — large digits visible from across the room
3
The alarm plays automatically at 00:00 — keep your browser tab unmuted to hear it
4
Date Countdown auto-updates every second to show real-time days, hours, minutes, seconds
5
Pause the timer at any point and resume exactly where you left off
6
Use the custom message field to label your timer (e.g., 'Exam Time', 'Meeting Ends', 'Cookies Done')
Switch to Date Countdown mode to see a live countdown to any future date and time. Enter your target date — a birthday, holiday, exam, launch date, or deadline — and see days, hours, minutes, and seconds ticking down in real time. Perfect for building anticipation for events or tracking project deadlines.
Frequently Asked Questions
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All formulas verified against official standards.