The times people count down to
Each has a page of its own, about the moment it marks — and every other time is a box away.
- How Long Until 3:30 PM?School's out
- How Long Until Midnight?A new day
- How Long Until 5 PM?The end of the work day
- How Long Until Noon?Midday
- How Long Until 3 PM?Check-in time
- How Long Until 4 PM?The closing bell
- How Long Until 1:30 PM?Half past one
- How Long Until 6 PM?Dinner time
- How Long Until 8 PM?Prime time
- How Long Until 7 PM?The evening starts
How the countdown to a time works
- Type a time3:30, 5pm, 17:30, noon or midnight. With no am or pm it counts to whichever comes next.
- Watch it countHours, minutes and seconds to that time on your own clock, with the time it ends and the total in minutes.
- Ring, or go bigTurn on the chime for a gentle alarm when the time arrives, or press Fullscreen for a second screen or a TV.
The countdown reads your device's clock once a second instead of counting ticks, so a tab left in the background is right the moment you look at it again. When the time arrives it says so for a minute, then rolls on to the same time tomorrow.
Counting a length of time instead — 25 minutes, an hour? Use the online timer. Counting to a date, like a birthday or a holiday? Make one on Countdowns.
Questions
What happens if the time has already passed today?
It counts to the same time tomorrow. Just after a time arrives the page shows it for a minute (and chimes, if you asked it to), then rolls on to tomorrow's.
What if I don't type am or pm?
The countdown picks whichever comes first. At 2 PM, “3:30” means 3:30 this afternoon; at 4 PM it means 3:30 tomorrow morning. Add am or pm to be exact, or use a 24-hour time like 15:30.
Which time zone does it use?
Your device's. The page names the zone it's counting in, and it follows daylight saving time: on the day the clocks change it counts to the real time on the clock, not to a moment 24 hours after the last one.
Can it ring when the time arrives?
Yes. Turn on the alarm and keep the tab open: a gentle chime rings until you press Stop, and the whole screen glows. A closed tab can't ring.
Can I share a countdown to a time?
Yes. The address holds the time you typed (for example /time-until?at=17:30), so the link opens the same countdown — on each person's own clock. For one moment shared across time zones, like a call at 5 PM London time, make a countdown with a date and a time zone on Countdowns instead.
Is this the same as a timer?
Not quite: it counts to a time on the clock rather than for a length of time. To count down a length — 25 minutes, an hour — use the online timer, which also accepts “until 5:30pm”.