5 Minute Timer
A five-minute countdown with an alarm, huge digits readable across a classroom, and a full-screen mode.
5 Minute Timer
5 minutes
Ready
Keys: Space start / pause · R reset · + add a minute · F full screen · Esc stop alarm
How it keeps time
- Length: 5 minutes = 300 seconds.
- On Start: end time = the moment you start + 300 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.
What people use a 5-minute timer for
- A proper short break. In the Pomodoro Technique, each 25-minute block of focused work is followed by a break of about five minutes. If you want the whole cycle run for you, with breaks that start automatically, use the Pomodoro timer.
- Resting before a blood-pressure reading. The American Heart Association recommends sitting quietly for at least five minutes before measuring your blood pressure at home, without talking or using your phone — start this timer and wait for the alarm.
- Classroom transitions. Five minutes to tidy up, finish a sentence or get into groups. Full screen turns the page into a clock the whole room can read, and the remaining time also shows in the browser tab if you switch to your slides.
- Time-outs for five-year-olds. HealthyChildren.org (American Academy of Pediatrics) suggests about one minute per year of age, which makes five minutes for a five-year-old.
Adding time and repeating
Need a little longer? +1 min adds a minute while the timer runs, while it is paused, or after the alarm has started (which silences it and counts down one more minute). To run five-minute rounds back to back — for example, stations in a class — tick Repeat: each round ends with a short chime and the next begins at once. For a length that isn’t here, the countdown timer takes any hours, minutes and seconds.
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: 3 Minute Timer. Longer: 10 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 I rest before taking my blood pressure?
The American Heart Association recommends at least five minutes of quiet rest first, and no caffeine, exercise or smoking in the 30 minutes before.
Is a 5-minute break long enough?
It is the short break used in the Pomodoro Technique, taken after each 25-minute work period; after four of those, the technique calls for a longer break of 15 to 30 minutes.
Can I display the timer on a projector?
Yes. Press Full screen (or F) and the digits fill the screen; press it again or Esc to go back. If your browser doesn’t let web pages go full screen, the timer fills the browser window instead.