Run a countdown for a duration rather than a time of day. This page contains the Timer workspace only. Keep it open for alerts; navigating to another tool ends this page’s running work. For several kinds of tool together, use the all-in-one workspace.
Create a useful countdown
- Enter minutes and seconds. Use whole, nonnegative values; the controls offer up to 99 minutes and 59 seconds.
- Name the timer if you are doing more than one task. “First steep” is easier to identify than two entries both named “Timer.”
- Select Bell or Rooster, preview it and check the sound output.
- Choose Add Timer. It creates an entry; press that entry’s Start to begin counting down.
What each control changes
- Start
- Runs this entry from its current remaining value.
- Stop
- Pauses this entry. Another timer can continue.
- Reset
- Stops this entry and restores its configured duration.
- Remove
- Deletes this entry. It does not clear the other timers.
The form returns to its starting values after adding a timer. To create a second short countdown, enter its duration again. This avoids accidentally treating the previous form settings as a new entry’s settings.
Use multiple timers deliberately
For a practice session, add “Opening” at two minutes and “Full run” at five minutes. Start each separately. Stopping Opening should leave Full run counting. Resetting Opening prepares that interval again without resetting Full run. This is a manual workflow: XClock does not automatically sequence timers or start a break after a work interval.
When a countdown finishes
The selected sound plays and an alert identifies the timer. Stop dismisses the sound. Add Time creates another interval on that finished timer, using the quick minutes or your custom value. The extension is added to the original configured duration too. For a 20-second timer extended by five minutes, Reset therefore restores 5 minutes 20 seconds. It is not an instruction to silently extend every active timer.
Refresh does not measure time away
XClock saves remaining seconds and whether an entry was running. On return, a saved running timer resumes from its saved remaining value. It does not subtract time spent with the page closed. Treat a restored timer as a resumed session, not as proof of how much real-world time has elapsed. Clearing browser storage removes the saved entries. The persistence guide includes a small verification exercise.
Why a countdown can finish late
The current countdown subtracts one second when its scheduled callback runs. If the browser delays callbacks, fewer countdown steps can occur than wall-clock seconds. A sleeping or suspended page is especially unsuitable for a deadline. Even when the foreground display looks regular, this is not a calibrated timer. See the timing-method explanation for the difference between a requested update interval and elapsed time.
Keep the page open, device awake and a backup available when timing is important. For a specific local time use the alarm; for an open-ended measurement use the stopwatch. The support center covers silent sounds and missing saved timers.