Online timer.

How to use the online timer in 3 steps

1. Pick a time. Tap a quick time from 1 to 30 minutes, or type minutes and seconds under Custom time and press Set time. You can set up to 3 hours.
2. Press Start, or the Space bar. The ring empties as the time runs down. In the last 10% it turns coral and the label says Almost done.
3. Hear the chime. At zero a short chime plays and the screen flashes once. The timer then shows how far over you are, until you press Reset.

Press F for full screen. The time fills a projector or TV on a dark background, with Pause, +1 min and Reset still to hand. Esc takes you back.

A countdown timer that stays on time

Many browser timers drift when you switch tabs, because browsers slow down pages you aren’t looking at. This one counts down to a fixed end time instead of adding up seconds. Switch to your slides or your email, and the time left is still right when you come back.

The chime is booked ahead on your device’s audio clock, so it rings on time in a background tab. While the timer runs, it also asks your device to keep the screen awake, and the browser tab shows the time left.

Ideas for classes, meetings, workshops and events

• Classroom timer. Put a starter task, a test section or tidy-up time on the projector, so the whole class sees how long is left. Built for secondary school, college and university classes.
• Meetings. Timebox each agenda item. When the chime plays, decide or move on. A 5 or 10 minute break timer gets people back on time too.
• Workshops. Run each activity block against the clock. Groups glance at the ring instead of asking how long they have left.
• Speaker time. Face a laptop towards the stage during talks and presentations. The colour change warns the speaker, and the over count shows by how much they ran long.
• Events. Time quiz rounds, pitches and breaks between sessions on the venue screen. Full screen keeps the digits readable from the back of the room.
• Your own focus. Set 20 or 30 minutes for a block of deep work, then take a short break with a 5 minute timer.

Run the clock live with your group

In a RiLiFi live quiz, every question has its own timer, from 5 to 999 seconds. Players answer on their phones before it runs out, and faster correct answers can earn a speed bonus. See the live quiz.

Not sure how long to give each question? Our guide on how many seconds per quiz question has a starting range for 5 kinds of question.