Free Online Classroom Timer
A countdown timer and stopwatch built for the front of a classroom. Quick presets, custom times, a colour-coded progress ring and a full-screen mode for your whiteboard. No sign-up.
Quick Presets
This free online classroom timer does one job well: it shows a whole class exactly how much time is left. Pick a preset or set your own duration, press Start, and put it full-screen on the projector. The ring turns amber at 30 seconds and red at the last 10, so students start wrapping up on their own instead of waiting for you to announce it. Switch to stopwatch mode when you need to count up rather than down. It runs entirely in your browser, keeps working if the school wifi drops, and needs no account.
Ready to plan around your classroom timer?
Use Kuraplan to turn classroom tasks into lesson plans, worksheets, rubrics, and assessments aligned to your curriculum.
Generate Teaching ResourcesFeatures
- Countdown timer with custom duration
- Stopwatch mode that counts up
- Quick presets: 1, 5, 10, 15, 20 and 30 minutes
- Visual progress ring that turns amber at 30 seconds and red at 10
- Alarm sound when time is up, with a mute toggle
- Full-screen mode for projectors and interactive whiteboards
- Pause and reset controls
How to Use
- 1Select a preset time or enter a custom duration
- 2Click "Start" to begin the countdown
- 3Use full-screen mode for classroom projection
- 4Pause anytime and resume when ready
Why a visible countdown beats calling out the time
- Students self-pace when they can see the time — you stop being the clock
- The colour change at 30 and 10 seconds is a warning that does not interrupt anyone
- Transitions get shorter when the class can see the countdown running
- Quick presets cover the timings you already use: 1, 5, 10, 15, 20 and 30 minutes
- Full-screen mode is readable from the back row on a projector or whiteboard
- Stopwatch mode handles fluency reads, timed writes, and lab work
- The alarm is optional — mute it for tests and quiet work
- Nothing to install, no account, and it keeps running if the wifi drops
When teachers reach for a classroom timer
Timed tests and quizzes
Set the full duration, project it, and let students manage their own pacing instead of asking how long is left.
Transitions between activities
A two-minute countdown on the board turns pack-away time into a game the class is trying to beat.
Station and centre rotations
Reset the same preset for each rotation so every group gets exactly the same time at every station.
Think-pair-share and turn-and-talk
Short bursts of one or two minutes keep paired talk focused and stop it drifting off task.
Independent reading and drafting
A visible countdown protects sustained silent work from the constant question of how much longer.
Teaching students to tell the time
Pair the countdown with clock reading practice so younger classes connect elapsed time to a clock face.
Explore toolFluency reads and timed drills
Stopwatch mode counts up, so you can record how long a passage or a drill actually took.
Pacing a lesson you have planned
Set the timer to match the activity timings in your lesson plan and the plan survives contact with the class.
Explore toolFrequently Asked Questions
Can I customize the timer duration?
Yes. Use the quick presets for common classroom activities, or type any custom time up to 99 minutes and 59 seconds in the minutes and seconds boxes and press Set.
Will it make a sound when time is up?
Yes, there's an optional alarm sound that plays when the timer reaches zero. You can enable or disable this feature.
Does it work offline?
Yes! Once loaded, the timer works completely offline - perfect for classrooms with unreliable internet.
Is this classroom timer free?
Completely free, with no account and no sign-up. Open the page and press Start — there is no trial, no card, and no limit on how often you use it.
Can students see it from the back of the room?
Yes — press the full-screen button and the countdown fills the whole display on a dark background, which is what you want on a projector or interactive whiteboard. The digits are the largest element on screen, and the ring around them shows the remaining time at a glance.
Can I use it as a stopwatch instead of a countdown?
Yes. Switch to Stopwatch at the top of the tool and it counts up from zero instead of down, which suits fluency reads, timed drafting, and lab work where you want to record how long something took.
Does the timer warn students before time runs out?
It warns them visually rather than interrupting you. The progress ring and digits turn amber with 30 seconds left and red with 10 seconds left, so students pace themselves without you having to call out the time.
More Classroom Management Tools
View all toolsRandom Name Picker
Randomly select students with an animated spinning wheel. Perfect for classroom participation and fair selection.
Random Group Generator
Create random student groups instantly. Perfect for group projects, team activities, and collaborative learning.
Icebreaker Generator
Find fun icebreaker activities for your classroom. Perfect for the first day of school or new groups.