Summary
A countdown timer shows how much time is left until a moment you choose. To count down to a date free and privately here, choose Until a date, type a Title, set the Target date and Target time, and press Start Countdown. For a timer instead, choose Timer (duration), type the Hours, Minutes and Seconds and press Start Timer, or press a Quick start button such as 5 min, which starts at once. The clock shows the days, hours, minutes and seconds left, plays an alarm when time is up, and can go fullscreen or be shared as a link.
It runs in your browser; nothing is uploaded (you can check the Network tab in DevTools). There is no account, and the time you enter is read as your own local time. To find what an event time abroad means for you, convert it first with the time zone converter or check the world clock.
Formula: time left = end moment − current time. Days are whole blocks of 86,400 seconds; hours, minutes and seconds are what remains. The total is rounded up to the next whole second, so the last second reads 01, not 00, until the moment arrives.
Table of Use: Common Countdowns and Their Settings
| Goal | Mode and settings | What the clock shows |
|---|---|---|
| A 5-minute break | Timer (duration), Quick start 5 min | Hours, Minutes and Seconds, starting at 00 : 05 : 00 |
| A 90-second round | Timer (duration), Minutes 1 and Seconds 30, or Minutes 1.5 | 00 : 01 : 30 |
| A 2-hour exam | Timer (duration), Hours 2, Minutes 0 | 02 : 00 : 00, with Pause and Resume |
| A launch, trip or holiday | Until a date, Target date and Target time | Days, Hours, Minutes and Seconds |
| The same moment on a friend’s device | Start either mode, then Copy share link | The same end moment, in the friend’s local time |
Features
- Two modes. Until a date counts to any future date and time and always shows days. Timer (duration) takes up to 9,999 hours and shows days only once it is 24 hours or longer.
- Quick start buttons for 1, 5, 10, 15 and 30 minutes and 1 hour start the timer with one press.
- Forgiving number input. A dot or a comma works as the decimal mark, so 2.5 and 2,5 minutes both mean 2 minutes 30 seconds, while 1,500 is read as fifteen hundred.
- Alarm. Four bursts of three 880 Hz beeps, about three seconds, generated by your browser, with a Test sound link and a tick box to turn it off.
- Fullscreen with digits that fill the screen; Esc or Exit fullscreen leaves it.
- Time left in the tab title, such as 00:04:12 · My Countdown, so you can follow it from another tab.
- Copy share link writes an address that holds the end moment and the title. If your browser blocks clipboard access, the link appears in a box so you can copy it by hand.
- Drift-free timekeeping. The display is recalculated from the end moment four times a second, so it stays right after the computer sleeps or a background tab is slowed down.
Limits: one countdown at a time; Pause works on timers but not on date countdowns; nothing is saved, so reloading the page ends a countdown unless you reopen its share link. The defaults are the title My Countdown, tomorrow at 12:00 and 5 minutes.
How to Use the Countdown Timer
- Click Until a date or Timer (duration).
- Type a Title, up to 200 characters. It shows above the clock and in the tab title.
- For a date, set Target date and Target time (your local time). For a timer, type Hours, Minutes and Seconds, or press a Quick start button, which starts at once.
- Keep Play an alarm when time is up ticked if you want the sound, and press Test sound to check the volume.
- Press Start Countdown or Start Timer. A message appears if the date has passed or a number is invalid.
- While it runs, use Fullscreen, Copy share link, Pause (timers) and Reset. When Time’s Up! appears, press New countdown to start again.
Who Can Use It
Teachers time tests and activities, speakers keep to a slot, streamers show a countdown before going on air, and families count the days to a trip or a birthday. Speakers can estimate how long a script takes with the word counter, which shows speaking time, then set that length as a timer.
To time something that has already started, use the stopwatch. To count the days between two dates without a running clock, use the date difference calculator; for your next birthday, the age calculator gives the days to go. Plan the month around an event with a page from the calendar generator, and turn a share link into a scannable code with the QR code generator to put it on a poster or slide.
FAQs
How do I count down to a date and time?
Choose Until a date, type a Title, set the Target date and the Target time (your local time), then press Start Countdown. The clock shows the days, hours, minutes and seconds left and plays an alarm at zero if Play an alarm when time is up is ticked. A date that has already passed is refused with a message asking for a moment in the future.
How do I set a timer for 5 minutes, 90 seconds or any other length?
Choose Timer (duration), type the Hours, Minutes and Seconds, and press Start Timer. For common lengths press a Quick start button (1, 5, 10, 15 or 30 min, or 1 hour) and the timer starts at once. Decimals work with a dot or a comma, so 1.5 and 1,5 minutes both mean 90 seconds. A timer can be paused and resumed.
How long can a countdown or timer run?
A Timer (duration) can run up to 9,999 hours, about 416 days. For anything longer, count down to a date instead, which accepts any future date and shows the days left. A countdown lasts only while its page stays open: closing or reloading the tab ends it, but opening a share link again resumes counting towards the same end moment.
Does the countdown keep correct time in a background tab?
Yes, as long as the tab stays open. The timer works from the end moment rather than counting ticks, sets a check for that moment and re-checks the clock whenever you switch back to the tab, so a slowed background tab does not make it drift. The tab title shows the time left. Some phone browsers suspend a page when the screen locks, so the alarm can be late until you return.
How do I share a countdown with someone in another time zone?
While a countdown is running, press Copy share link. The link holds the exact end moment and the title, so a friend in another time zone counts down to the same instant, shown in their own local time. Anyone who has the link can read the title, so keep private details out of it.
Why does the alarm not play, or ask me to allow sound?
Browsers only let a page play sound after you click or tap it. A countdown opened from a share link starts by itself, so click anywhere on the timer once and the alarm will sound when time is up. Also check that Play an alarm when time is up is ticked and your device is not muted; Test sound on the form checks your volume.
Can I show the countdown fullscreen on a projector or screen?
Yes. Press Fullscreen while a countdown is running and the digits fill the screen; press Esc or Exit fullscreen to leave. Where a browser has no Fullscreen API, such as iPhone Safari, the countdown fills the browser window instead. The title and the end time stay on screen above the digits.
Is anything uploaded or stored?
No. The countdown runs in your browser and nothing is uploaded (you can check the Network tab in DevTools). There is no account, and nothing you type is saved. The alarm is generated by your browser, so there is no sound file to download. A share link holds only the end moment and the title in its web address; opening it requests that address from zipconvert.com like any page, so keep private details out of the title.