Floating Timer

A small countdown that stays on top of whatever you're working on.

  • Free
  • Stays on top of any app
  • Nothing to install

30 minutes remaining. Ready. 30 minutes.

Choose a duration

Ready30 minutes

Set a custom time

Whole minutes and seconds, up to 24 hours.

A small timer window that stays on top of other apps
  • SpaceStart, pause, stop alarm
  • RReset
  • EscExit full screen

A timer that doesn't disappear when you switch apps

A floating timer, sometimes called an always-on-top timer, is a small countdown window that sits above every other app on your computer. Open a document, a spreadsheet or a video call, and the time left stays in the corner of the screen instead of hiding in a browser tab you can no longer see.

Pick a length and press Start. In Chrome and Edge the countdown pops out into its own mini window with the digits, a progress bar and buttons to pause, resume or hide it. Firefox and Safari open it as picture-in-picture, where the pause control does the same job. Drag it anywhere on the screen.

Closing the small window never stops the countdown. The timer keeps running on this page, and the Float button brings the window back. When time is up the alarm rings, and you can stop it from the floating window without switching back.

It is a free, browser-based floating countdown timer with nothing to install. This timer that stays on top works on a Mac and a PC, in Safari, as a popup timer and a Pomodoro floating timer.

Useful for

  • Writing and deep work
  • Timed exams and practice tests
  • Presenting slides on Zoom or Teams
  • Meetings that tend to run long
  • Coding sprints and code reviews
  • Timeboxing email and admin

Getting the most from the floating timer

  1. Park it where you don't type

    A top corner usually sits over toolbars rather than your work, so the countdown never covers the line you need.

  2. Hide it during the hard part

    Press Hide when the numbers start to distract you. The countdown carries on, and the alarm still rings at zero if sound is on.

  3. Share a window, not the whole screen

    On a video call, share just the app you are presenting and the timer stays visible to you alone.

Floating Timer questions

Which browsers support the floating timer?

Chrome and Edge on a Mac or a PC open a mini timer for the desktop, with its own buttons. Firefox and Safari use picture-in-picture. Phones don't support it, so use full screen there instead.

Does it stay on top of apps outside the browser?

Yes. The window floats above Word, Excel, Slack, a video call or any other program, not just other browser tabs.

Can the Pomodoro timer or stopwatch float too?

Yes. The Pomodoro floating timer uses the same window, and so do the stopwatch and the interval timer, so focus blocks and laps stay in view as well.

Is it a download or a browser extension?

Neither. It is a free online timer in a separate window, so there is nothing to install on a Mac or a PC and no account to create. A floating timer for Safari, Chrome, Edge or Firefox is the same page.

Does it keep time when the tab is in the background?

Yes. The countdown works from the moment you pressed Start, so it stays accurate even while the tab is hidden behind other windows.

Looking for a different timer? Use the main timer, try the Pomodoro timer, the classroom timer, the stage timer, the online stopwatch or the interval timer, or read how the floating timer works.