Online Timer

How it works

A timer is stored as the instant it will finish, not as a number of seconds ticking down. The display is simply the difference between that instant and now. This is what lets a timer survive a background tab, a locked screen or a sluggish machine: nothing is being counted, so nothing can be miscounted.

The countdown is repainted using animation frames while the tab is visible, with a one-second interval as a fallback. Browsers stop animation frames in hidden tabs, so without that fallback a timer would appear frozen and, worse, would not fire its alarm at the right moment.

The alarm is generated in the browser rather than downloaded, so it works offline and adds no network request. Autoplay policies mean a browser will usually only allow sound after you have interacted with the page — starting the timer counts, so in normal use the alarm sounds. Notifications, if you allow them, are how the timer reaches you when the tab is not in front.

Examples

A kitchen timer. Set eight minutes for pasta, start it, and switch to another tab. The alarm fires on time because the finish instant was fixed when you started.

Several at once. Run more than one timer side by side — one for the oven, one for a call. Each keeps its own label so the alarm tells you which finished.

A timed exercise. Give the timer a name before starting; the name appears in the notification, which matters when the alert arrives while you are in another application.

Practical notes

Because a timer stores the instant it will finish, closing the tab is the one thing that genuinely stops it. Backgrounding the tab, switching applications or locking the screen are all fine; the alarm still fires at the right moment.

Sound is subject to the browser's autoplay rules. Starting a timer counts as the interaction that unlocks audio, so ordinary use works, but a timer restored automatically when the page loads may be silent until you click something. If the alarm matters, allow notifications as well — they reach you when the tab does not.

A browser timer is not a system alarm. If the browser is closed, or the device shuts down, nothing fires. For anything with a real consequence, set a device alarm too.

Frequently asked questions

Will the timer still ring if I switch tabs?

It will ring when the tab next runs, which in most browsers is immediately. Enabling browser notifications makes the alert visible even when the tab is hidden.

Can I run several timers at once?

Yes. Each one is independent, with its own label, progress bar and controls.

Is there a Pomodoro preset?

The 25 minute preset is the standard Pomodoro interval, with 5 minutes available for the short break.

Will the alarm sound if the tab is in the background?

Yes. The finish instant is fixed when you start, and a one-second interval keeps running when animation frames stop, so the alarm fires on schedule. Allowing notifications makes it reach you outside the tab as well.

Why did no sound play?

Browsers block audio until you have interacted with the page. Starting the timer normally satisfies that, but a timer restored automatically on page load may be silent until you click something.

Does it work offline?

Yes. The page is cached and the alarm tone is generated locally, so neither needs a connection.

Are my timers saved if I reload?

Running timers are restored, because what is stored is the finish instant rather than a countdown.

Can I use it as a pomodoro timer?

You can, though the pomodoro tool handles the work-and-break cycle and the longer break automatically.

Is there a maximum length?

Nothing practical. A timer is a stored finish instant, so days-long timers behave the same as minutes-long ones.

What happens when the timer reaches zero?

It sounds an alarm, shows a notification if you have allowed them, and then counts upward so you can see how long ago it finished.

Can I pause a timer?

Yes. Pausing stores the remaining time and restarting computes a fresh finish instant from it, so accuracy is unaffected by how long it sat paused.

Presets