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Visual timer

Set a time by dragging the dial and watch the color shrink as it runs out.

Time left: 10 minutes

Drag the dial to set the time.

Settings

Dial
Color

If red feels alarming for a child, try Sea or Leaf.

Sound

Repeats every 15 seconds, for up to 5 minutes.

Saved on this device.

How it works

When you press Start, the page writes down the moment the timer will end. The dial is redrawn from that end time several times a second, so it stays right when you switch tabs, and a laptop that wakes from sleep shows the right time at once. The end sound is scheduled for that moment too.

The face works like a Time Timer's: the numbers run counterclockwise from 0 at the top, and the colored disk shrinks clockwise. Choose a 5, 20, 60 or 120-minute dial in Settings, so a short time still fills a good part of the face.

Some limits are worth knowing. A phone pauses web pages when its screen locks, so the page asks to keep the screen on while the timer runs. If the end passes while the page can't run, because the tab was closed or the phone locked anyway, you'll see "Time's up" and the real finish time when you come back, but no late chime. Your settings and the current timer are saved in this browser only.

Questions people ask

What is a visual timer?
A visual timer shows the time left as a colored shape that shrinks, so you can see how much is left without reading numbers. The best known is the Time Timer, a red disk Jan Rogers designed in the 1990s for her youngest child; this page works the same way on any screen.
Do visual timers help children with transitions?
Sometimes, and the evidence is thin. In a 2025 study of 44 children aged 7 to 9 taking a timed math test, a visible Time Timer lowered anxiety beforehand and reduced inattentive behavior, but didn't change scores. A small 2005 study found that a 2-minute warning on its own didn't improve three toddlers' transitions.
Does a visual timer help with ADHD?
It can make time easier to see, though no trial has tested visual timers for ADHD on their own. In the 2025 classroom study, the timer's effect on inattentive behavior was strongest in children at higher risk for ADHD, and a meta-analysis of 27 studies found that children and teens with ADHD judge time less accurately than their peers.
Does it keep time if I switch tabs or my laptop sleeps?
Yes. When you press Start, the page fixes the end time by the clock, so the dial is right whenever you look. A phone pauses web pages when its screen locks, so the page keeps the screen on while the timer runs; if the end passes while the page can't run, you'll see "Time's up" and the real finish time when you come back, without a late chime.
Can I use it without sound?
Yes: switch Sound off under the dial, or press M. Time Timer's own timers make the alert optional "depending on the sensory needs of your environment"; when time is up, the face changes color and says "Time's up" either way.

Sources

  1. Time Timer: "The Creation of Time Timer (Jan's Story)"
  2. Time Timer: Original 8" product page (silent operation, optional alert)
  3. Time Timer: PLUS 5 Minute product page (why short faces)
  4. US patent 5,662,479 (the face layout)
  5. Hallez and Vallier 2025: visual timers in elementary math assessments
  6. Cote, Thompson and McKerchar 2005: toddlers' compliance during transitions
  7. Zheng et al. 2022: time perception in ADHD (meta-analysis)
  8. W3C: WCAG 2.2, 2.3.1 Three Flashes or Below Threshold
  9. MDN: Screen Wake Lock API
  10. MDN: Element.requestFullscreen() (iPhone support)
  11. Chrome for Developers: timer throttling in Chrome 88
  12. Apple Developer Forums: JavaScript in Safari in the background