A timer counts down. A stopwatch counts up.
This online timer starts from a length you choose and runs to zero. That is the opposite of the stopwatch, which measures an unknown stretch of time. Use a timer when the ending matters more than the path: the end of a speech, the end of a rest, the moment you said you would close the laptop. You can type any length up to 24 hours, or open a page that is already set to a round number.
Start stores the moment the timer should finish. Several times a second, the page compares the clock to that moment. If the browser slows this tab because you switched sites, coming back shows the true time left, not a frozen number. The alarm is placed on the audio clock when you press Start, so it has a chance to ring in the background. That still requires the computer to stay awake. A closed laptop does not play sound.
Preset pages for the lengths people actually search
The chips under the dial are real pages: a 1 minute timer, 5 minute timer, 10 minute timer, 15 minute timer, 25 minute timer, and the rest through a 2 hour timer. Each one has its own title because searching for a timer and searching for a 10 minute timer are different jobs. Test sound checks the volume before you walk away. Space starts or pauses, R resets, and F fills the screen.
The browser tab title shows the time left while the timer runs, so you can keep it behind a document and still read it in the tab bar. At zero the dial says Done. This is not a system notification. If the tab is muted, you will see the end and not hear it. For a date such as New Year, use the countdown timer. For a length you do not know yet, use the stopwatch and write down what you learn.
Set the length on purpose
Round up when missing the end is expensive, and round down when the length is a maximum you must not pass. A delicate steep handles two extra minutes badly. A ten-minute talk handles a twelve-minute timer badly if you use the extra time to wander. Say out loud what the chime means: take the pan off, hand over the mic, stand up. A timer with no decision is only a noise.
Nothing is uploaded. The running length is not saved. Reload the page and it returns to the setting for this address. This is not a medical device and not an on-call alarm clock. If you only need the current time, your phone already has a clock. If you need the number of days until a date, that is the days between dates page, not a minute timer.
- Test the sound before a task you will not watch.
- Leave the tab in the background only if the machine stays awake.
- Open a preset page when you want the same length tomorrow.
- Use the stopwatch when you do not yet know the right length.