Online timer for a big fullscreen countdown
An online timer fills the screen with a countdown you can read from across the room. Set the length, press start, and leave it on an iPad or a spare monitor until the chime.
How to use
The digits show the length you are about to run. Ten minutes is the default, unless a link or a preset already chose another length. Press Start, or the space bar, to begin. Press it again to pause. Reset returns to the length you set. Tap the digits, or just type: the keys shift in from the right, the way a microwave keypad works, so 1, 5, 0, 0 becomes 15:00. Backspace deletes a digit, Enter starts, and Escape cancels. +1 min and +5 min sit under the digits. While it is running, +1 min moves the end later. The minus key shortens the length only when the timer is idle or paused.
Set it up on an iPad or second screen
Put an iPad on a stand, or move the browser window to a second monitor and leave it there. In Safari, tap Share, then Add to Home Screen, and open the timer from the new icon so the browser bars stay hidden. The page asks for a wake lock while this tab is open. iPadOS can still sleep on its own, so set Auto-Lock to Never on a device you leave running. For a classroom or a kitchen, turn on Guided Access under Settings, then Accessibility, and start it with a triple-click of the side button. At night, set Dim to 40. Press F for fullscreen on a desktop.
Customize it
The table lists every control and the URL parameter that stores it. Change a value and the address bar updates, so a bookmark is a complete setup. Theme, font, scale, dim, sound, and volume are shared across tools on this site. The length, label, ring style, and alarm are saved for this timer. A length you change while a countdown is already running waits until the next reset. Values that match the defaults stay out of the link.
| Setting | URL param | Allowed values | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duration | d | 1–86400 seconds. URL form: 90s, 25m, or 1h30m | 600 seconds |
| LabelShown above the digits. Up to 40 characters. | label | Text, up to 40 characters | Empty |
| Progress | progress | Ring (ring), Bar (bar), None (none) | Ring (ring) |
| Ring styleDrawn behind the digits. Raised is pressed in, Glass is frosted, Halo is a wash of light. | look | Line (line), Raised (raised), Glass (glass), Halo (halo) | Halo (halo) |
| Ring opacityHow strongly the circle shows. The digits stay solid. | ringop | 0–100, step 5% | 80% |
| AlarmLoop repeats for two minutes, or until you dismiss it. | ring | Once (once), Three times (3x), Loop (loop) | Three times (3x) |
| OvertimeCount up after zero. | overtime | On (1) or off (0) | On |
| Auto startStarts from a link or preset that turns this on. A saved switch does not start the main timer by itself. | autostart | On (1) or off (0) | Off |
| Theme | theme | Midnight (midnight), Carbon (OLED) (carbon), Paper (paper), Forest (forest), Dusk (dusk), Ocean (ocean), Aurora (aurora), Terminal (terminal), Graphite (graphite), Porcelain (porcelain) | Midnight (midnight) |
| Font | font | System (sans), JetBrains Mono (mono), Space Grotesk (grotesk), Fraunces (serif), Bebas Neue (condensed), Orbitron (digital), Condensed Bold (flip) | System (sans) |
| Scale | scale | 50–150, step 5% | 100% |
| Dim | dim | 0–80, step 5% | 0% |
| Burn-in shiftNudge the display a few pixels so a static clock does not mark the screen. | shift | On (1) or off (0) | On |
| Sound | sound | Bell (bell), Digital (digital), Soft (soft), Off (off) | Bell (bell) |
| Volume | vol | 0–100, step 5 | 70 |
Keyboard shortcuts
These keys work when focus is not in a text field. The shell handles fullscreen, settings, hiding the bars, and this list. The timer adds start, pause, reset, a minute either way, and digit entry. Press the question mark whenever you need the list again.
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
| F | Fullscreen |
| S | Settings |
| H | Hide or show the interface |
| ? | Keyboard shortcuts |
| Esc | Close |
| Space | Start or pause |
| R | Reset |
| + or = | Add 1 minute |
| - | Remove 1 minute when idle or paused |
| 0–9 | Type a length, microwave style |
Popular timer lengths
A 1 minute timer is a plank or a speaking turn. 2 minutes covers teeth or a breathing reset. 3 minutes is tea. A 5 minute timer covers a short break or a classroom transition. 10 minutes fits a tidy or a short writing sprint. 15 minutes is a meeting buffer. 20 minutes is a nap or a sprint. 25 minutes is one study block. 30 minutes fits a lesson or a workout circuit. 45 minutes is a class period. An hour is a deep-work block. 90 minutes is one long sitting. Each page opens with that length already set.
Why a big online timer is easier to read
A phone timer fails when you are across the room, teaching, or cooking. Digits that fill the panel fix that. The progress ring, or the bar along the bottom, shows the same fact as a shape. After zero, overtime can count up in a second colour until you tap, so a late finish stays visible. Pair it with the clock when you also want the time of day, or the flip clock between countdowns.
FAQ
Will the alarm ring if my screen is locked?
Only while this page is open and the device is awake. The chime is scheduled when you press Start, so another browser tab does not make it late. A locked screen, a sleeping computer, or a closed tab cannot play it. On an iPad, set Auto-Lock to Never and leave the timer on a stand. The page asks for a wake lock, and the system can still turn the screen off.
Does the timer keep running if I close the tab?
The running state is saved in this browser. Close the tab and the chime stops, because nothing is left to play it. Open the timer again and it shows the time that is actually left, or the overtime if the end already passed while the tab was closed. The end time is stored, not a ticking counter, so a reload does not start the length over. Clearing site data for this host removes that saved run.
Can I name my timer?
Yes. Open settings and type a label of up to 40 characters. It sits above the digits in a quieter colour, so a shared screen can say Stretch or Exam without covering the countdown. The label is stored in the link when it is not empty. The browser tab title uses that name while the timer is running, and it returns to the page title when you reset. The name is not sent anywhere.
How loud is the alarm?
There is no audio file. The chime is generated in the browser: a bell, a soft tone, or a short digital beep. Volume is a slider from 0 to 100, and Off skips the sound. Use Test sound in the Sound group to hear the current choice. The first tap on the page unlocks audio, which iOS requires. If a link starts the timer before that tap, a chip asks you to tap once so the chime can play.
What happens when the countdown reaches zero?
The digits show 00:00, the tab title changes, and a live message says the timer finished. The background pulses three times, or shows a steady border if you prefer reduced motion. Overtime can then count up in a second colour. The alarm rings once, three times, or for up to two minutes. The first tap stops the sound. Reset clears it back to the length you set.