5 Minute Timer
Free shareable timer - copy the link and anyone can start counting down instantly.
Why a 5 minute timer?
Five minutes is the most-used short timer on the internet, and most of that traffic is one of three things: a break, a brew, or a transition. It is the short break in the Pomodoro Technique - the deliberate pause between focus blocks that stops a work session becoming a slog.
It is also roughly a French press. Coarse-ground coffee steeped four to five minutes before plunging is the standard method; going much longer over-extracts and turns the cup bitter.
What people use a 5 minute timer for
- Pomodoro short breaks. The five-minute pause between 25-minute focus blocks. Timing it is what stops a five-minute break becoming twenty.
- French press coffee. Four to five minutes of steeping before you plunge, which is long enough to matter and easy to lose track of.
- Classroom transitions. Packing up, moving between stations, or settling after a break - a visible countdown does the chasing for you.
- Short meditation. Five minutes is the standard entry point for a breathing or body-scan practice.
- Meeting agenda items. Boxing a discussion item to five minutes is the simplest way to stop one topic eating the whole meeting.
Other preset timer lengths
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is the Pomodoro break five minutes?
Francesco Cirillo's method pairs a 25-minute focus block with a short five-minute break, then a longer break after four cycles. The short break is meant to be genuinely restful but too short to lose your place in the work.
How long should coffee steep in a French press?
Around four minutes for most recipes, up to five for a coarser grind. Past that the brew over-extracts and tastes bitter, so the timer matters more than it does for drip coffee.
Can I share this link with my class?
Yes - just copy the link from the box above and paste it into your LMS, email, or messaging app. When students open it they get a 5m timer that's ready to start with one tap. No account or download needed.
Does the timer save my progress?
The timer runs entirely in your browser - progress is not saved between page loads. If you refresh or close the tab the timer resets to 5m. For a timer that auto-starts when someone opens the link, add ?autostart=1 to the URL or use the shareable timer generator.
Can I add a label to my timer?
Absolutely. Add a ?label= parameter to the URL - for example https://stopwatch.now/timer-link/5m?label=Math+Quiz. The label appears above the countdown. You can also use the timer link generator to build a labelled timer link without editing URLs by hand.
Can I make the timer auto-start when someone opens the link?
Yes. Add ?autostart=1 to the URL. For example: https://stopwatch.now/timer-link/5m?autostart=1. The timer will begin counting down the moment the page loads - no click required.