Make a countdown

What a countdown shows

The timer shows days, hours, minutes and seconds left to the moment you chose. It updates every second while the page is open.

When the time arrives, the timer changes to a message. A page for a past date shows how long ago it was instead.

Sharing a countdown

The link holds the name, the date and the time in its address. Nothing is saved on our side, so the link works as long as the page exists.

A shared link keeps the exact moment. A person in Tokyo and a person in Chicago see different clock times but the same time left.

Good uses for a countdown

Events, launches, trips, exams and birthdays all fit. A countdown makes the wait feel closer, and a shared link lets a group follow the same date.

For popular events, we already have pages with weeks, weekdays and sleeps. Use this tool for private dates and one-off plans.

Time zones and shared links

A countdown is a count to one moment. Two people in different time zones are counting to the same instant, so the time left is the same for both.

What differs is the clock reading. A party at 9:00 AM in New York is at 2:00 PM in London, and the link keeps the moment, not the clock.

For midnight on New Year's Day everywhere, use the holiday pages. They count in each visitor's own zone.

Ideas for a countdown

A trip, a wedding, a product launch, a final exam and the last day of school are all good fits. A countdown also works for a baby's due date.

Name it well. A short name such as "Lisbon" or "Launch day" reads clearly in the link and on the page.

Share it with a group chat, and everyone will see the same time left. There is nothing to install and no account to make.

Daylight saving and the clock

The countdown uses real elapsed time, so a clock change in the middle does not skew it. If the clocks go back an hour, the count simply takes an hour longer.

The tool picks your device clock as its source. If that clock is wrong, the count is wrong, so check that your device is set to update the time automatically.

Leave the page open and it updates each second. Close it, and the countdown starts again at the right figure when you return.

Getting the best from your countdown

Pick a time that matters. A wedding at 3:00 PM is better than a bare date, because the hours and minutes then count to the ceremony.

Keep the tab open to watch the seconds tick. On a phone, the page catches up when you return to it.

Make a new one for each event. Every countdown gets its own link, so you can keep as many as you like.

A few more notes

Browsers vary a little in how they show the date and time boxes. If a box looks different on your device, type the value in the same order and the countdown will still read it. A phone may show a wheel.