Classroom Timer

How to use the classroom timer

1. Choose a time: tap a preset, or type minutes and seconds and press Set.
2. Add a label if you like, such as "Clean up" or "Partner work". It appears above the timer, big enough to read from the back of the room.
3. Press Full screen to fill the projector or interactive whiteboard, then Start.
4. Use +1 min or −1 min while it runs. When time is up, the screen shows "Time's up!" and a soft three-tone chime plays.

Keyboard shortcuts for the board: Space starts and pauses, R resets, F toggles full screen. The page remembers your last time and display on this device.

Why a visual timer works

A visual timer turns time into something students can see. The red pie shrinks as time passes, so a quick glance answers "how long is left?" without anyone reading a clock or asking you. Many teachers use one for transitions, timed tasks and tidy-up, and it's especially popular with younger students and in special education settings. The pie turns amber in the last minute and the digits turn red for the last ten seconds, a gentle heads-up before the chime.

Prefer something simpler? Switch to Bar for a progress bar or Digits for an extra-large countdown that's readable across a big room.

Ideas for using it in class

• Transitions: 2 minutes to clean up or switch stations.
• Think-pair-share: 1 minute to think, 2 to discuss, 1 to share.
• Focused work sprints: 10–15 minutes of independent work, then a short break.
• Tests and quizzes: a large digital countdown everyone can see.
• Brain breaks: 3 minutes on the timer keeps them short and predictable.

Pair it with the classroom noise meter during group work: the timer shows how long is left, the meter shows how loud the room is.

Tips for the board

• Projector: full screen gives the biggest display. Press Esc to get your slides back.
• Switching tabs: the timer keeps counting against the computer's clock, so it stays accurate while you show slides, and the chime still plays.
• Screen going dark: while the timer runs, the page asks the device to keep the screen awake. If your school locks this setting, raise the screen-off delay before long timers.
• No chime? Check that the computer isn't muted and that sound goes to the speakers you expect.

Classroom timer on Chromebooks, iPads and phones

There's nothing to install and no account to create, so it works on locked-down school Chromebooks and shared iPads where you can't add apps. On a phone or tablet, stand it up facing a small group and use Digits view for the largest numbers. If a student device will run the timer, turn off silent mode on iPhone and iPad or the chime may not play.

How we tested this tool

We ran it in a desktop browser and at a 375 px phone width. We checked that presets and custom times set the right duration, that the countdown matched the computer's clock over a timed run, that +1 and −1 minute changed the remaining time, that the pie, bar and digits shrank in step, that the warning colors appeared in the last minute and last ten seconds, and that the end chime played.

Frequently asked questions