2 Minute Timer
A two-minute countdown with an alarm and big digits — just the right length for brushing your teeth.
2 Minute Timer
2 minutes
Ready
Keys: Space start / pause · R reset · + add a minute · F full screen · Esc stop alarm
How it keeps time
- Length: 2 minutes = 120 seconds.
- On Start: end time = the moment you start + 120 s, read from your device’s clock.
- Every update: time left = end time − now, rounded up to the whole second — so it never drifts, even in a background tab.
Two minutes for brushing
The American Dental Association recommends brushing your teeth twice a day for two minutes, with a fluoride toothpaste. Two minutes feels longer than most people expect, which is why a visible countdown helps — especially for children. Prop a phone or tablet on the bathroom shelf, press Start, and keep brushing until the alarm. The digits are large enough to read from across the room.
A simple way to cover every area is to split the time into four 30-second quarters — upper right, upper left, lower left, lower right — and move on each time the display passes 1:30, 1:00 and 0:30.
The two-minute rule
In his Getting Things Done method, David Allen suggests that if an action will take less than two minutes, you should do it as soon as it comes up, because filing it and coming back later takes longer than just doing it. Allen describes it as a guideline rather than a strict rule. This timer is a quick way to check whether a task really does fit in two minutes.
Other two-minute uses
Two minutes is also a common rest period between sets in the gym, and a useful limit for a warm-up activity at the start of a class. If you need a little longer, +1 min adds a minute at any time — even after the alarm has gone off. For a round of three, see the 3 minute timer.
How this timer works
Press Start, tap the digits or press Space. The timer saves the end time on your device’s clock and shows end time − now, rounded up to the second, so it stays exact even when your browser slows down background tabs; the remaining time also shows in the tab’s title. The alarm is scheduled on the Web Audio clock for the end time and beeps for up to a minute (phones that support it also vibrate). While the timer runs, the page asks the browser to keep the screen on. Nothing is sent anywhere: the timer runs entirely in your browser.
Other timers
Shorter: 1 Minute Timer. Longer: 3 Minute Timer. For any other length, use the countdown timer; to time how long something takes, use the stopwatch. Counting down to a date instead? See the holiday countdowns.
Frequently asked questions
How long should you brush your teeth?
The American Dental Association recommends two minutes, twice a day, with a fluoride toothpaste — exactly the length of this timer.
What is the two-minute rule?
A productivity guideline from David Allen’s Getting Things Done: if something will take less than two minutes, do it right away instead of adding it to a list.
Will the alarm work if my phone screen is locked?
Keep the page open with the screen on — the timer asks the browser to keep the screen awake while it runs, where supported. If the phone locks anyway, the browser may pause the page and the alarm may sound only when you unlock it; the time shown will still be correct.