Fifteen minutes is a real unit of work — long enough to make visible progress, short enough to stay sharp. This free 15-minute timer counts down in your browser with an alarm and stays accurate even when the tab is hidden.
What is a 15 minute timer good for?
- A 15-minute cleaning or decluttering sprint
- A focused study or revision block
- A stretching, yoga or cool-down session
- Capping a break so it doesn’t quietly become an hour
How this 15 minute timer works
Press Start and the countdown runs full-screen in your browser; press it again to pause and resume, hit Reset to return to 15 minute, or +1 min to extend. You can also press the spacebar to start or pause. It is wall-clock accurate, so it stays correct even in a background tab, and it rings when it reaches zero. Need a different length or a stopwatch and date countdown? Open the full timer.
Frequently asked questions
How long is 15 minutes for getting things done?
Fifteen minutes is the length behind the well-known “15-minute tidy” — set the timer, clean fast, and stop when it rings — and it is a comfortable single study or revision block for most people before attention dips. It is also long enough for a short stretching or yoga flow. The value of timing it is the hard stop: a 15-minute break stays 15 minutes instead of drifting, and a 15-minute task gets your full pace because you can see the clock running down.
Does the timer keep accurate time if I switch tabs?
Yes. Instead of counting ticks (which browsers throttle in background tabs), it records the exact end time and works out the remaining time from your clock on every update, so it is always correct. When you return to the tab the display instantly shows the true time left, and the alarm is scheduled through the Web Audio API so it still rings on time even while the tab is hidden.
Will it make a sound when it finishes? Is it free?
Yes to both. When the countdown reaches zero the timer plays an alarm tone and the card flashes with a “Time’s up” message, so you are notified even with the sound off — use the speaker button to mute or unmute. The first time you press Start the browser unlocks audio from that tap, which is why a timer you start yourself can ring later. It is completely free, runs entirely in your browser, needs no sign-up, and nothing is uploaded.