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Home › Countdown Timer

Countdown Timer

Count down to any future date and time — or see how much time has elapsed since a past date.

Count down to a future date and time
Also try: Date Calculator · Hours Between Times
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Quick Answer

Select a target date and time, add an optional label, and click Start. The live countdown shows days, hours, minutes, and seconds. Switch to "Time Elapsed Since" to measure time since a past date.

Uses for a countdown timer

Countdown timers are useful for personal goals (tracking days until a holiday or event), project management (deadline visibility), sales (showing time left on an offer), and event promotion. Seeing time visually tick away creates urgency and focus.

How this countdown works

The timer calculates the difference between your target date/time and the current moment using JavaScript's Date API. It updates once per second using setInterval(). When the target is reached, the display shows "Time's up!" instead of the countdown.

Time elapsed mode

The "Time Elapsed Since" mode works in reverse — you enter a past date and it counts upward, showing how much time has passed. This is useful for tracking how long a project has been running, how long since a milestone, or simply satisfying curiosity about how many days since a significant event.

Frequently asked questions

Can I set a countdown to any date?

Yes. You can set the target date and time to any future point — whether it's a meeting in 2 hours, a holiday next month, or a deadline years away. The countdown updates live every second.

Does the countdown keep running if I close the tab?

No. This is a browser-based tool and does not run in the background. If you close or navigate away from the tab, the timer stops. Reopen the page and set your target date again to resume.

What is the maximum countdown?

There is no practical maximum. You can count down to a date decades in the future. The display will show the days, hours, minutes, and seconds remaining regardless of how far away the target is.

Can I use this as a stopwatch?

This tool includes a "Time Elapsed Since" mode: enter a past date and it shows how much time has passed since then. For a traditional stopwatch, set the date and time to right now and switch to elapsed mode.