Skip to content
TabBench

Countdown Timer

Set one or more countdown timers with an alarm, notification and tab-title countdown, or count the days, hours and minutes to a date. Survives a page reload.

Runs in your browser. Nothing you add is uploaded.

What the Countdown Timer does

A countdown timer is for anything with a fixed length: boiling an egg, a presentation slot, an exam section, a break. This one runs up to six timers at once, each with its own label, and rings when one finishes, even if you are in another tab. It puts the time left in the browser tab's title, offers a notification for when you are elsewhere, and survives a page reload. A second mode counts down to a date and time, like New Year or a deadline, in days, hours, minutes and seconds.

How to use the countdown timer

  1. Set the time with the hours, minutes and seconds boxes, a preset button, or type a time such as 25 min or 1h 15m.
  2. Give the timer a label if you run several, then press Start. Press Pause to hold it and Resume to carry on.
  3. Use +1 min to add time while it runs, or Reset to go back to the starting time.
  4. When time is up the alarm sounds until you press Stop alarm. Pick a different sound or switch on notifications under Alerts.
  5. To count to a date, choose “Count down to a date”, enter the event and its date and time, or use a shortcut such as New Year.

The Countdown Timer runs entirely in your browser — nothing you enter is uploaded, stored, or logged.

When to use it

Cooking and everyday timing

Run separate timers for the pasta, the sauce and the bread, each labelled, and know which one is ringing.

Classrooms, exams and presentations

Show a large timer for a test section or a talk, and see the remaining time even when the window is small, in the tab title.

Counting down to an event

Keep a countdown to a launch, a holiday or an exam open in a tab, with days, hours, minutes and seconds left.

Good to know

  • Keep the tab open: the alarm is played by the page. Timers keep accurate time in the background, but closing the tab stops the sound.
  • Pressing Start unlocks audio, which browsers require before a page may play sound.
  • Silent mode on a phone silences web audio. Turn on vibration or notifications as a backup.
  • Add time with +1 min without restarting the timer.
  • Timers are saved for a few days, so a reload does not lose a timer that is still running.

Frequently asked questions

Will the timer ring if I switch to another tab?

Yes. The timer counts from the clock, not from ticks, and uses a background worker so the browser cannot slow it down. The alarm is played by the page, so keep the tab open. Closing the tab stops the alarm, but the timer resumes correctly if you reopen the page.

Why do I have to allow sound or notifications?

Browsers only play sound after you interact with the page, which pressing Start counts as. Notifications need your permission, which is asked only when you switch that option on.

Is the date countdown in my time zone?

Yes. The date and time you pick are read in your device's time zone, so it counts down to that moment wherever you are.

How accurate is the timer?

It is based on the device clock rather than counting ticks, so it does not drift when the browser slows a background tab. The display updates four times a second and the alarm fires within a fraction of a second of the end time.

Can I set a timer longer than 24 hours?

Yes, up to 99 hours 59 minutes 59 seconds. For longer periods use the date countdown.

Does the date countdown account for time zones?

It counts down to the date and time you enter in your device's local time zone. For an event in another zone, convert the time first with the World Clock.

Related tools