# How to set a timer on your Mac with NotchStar

> Open the notch, choose Timers, pick a length from 5 to 60 minutes and press play. Pause and reset sit beside the play button.

Canonical: https://www.notchstar.com/help/set-a-timer-on-mac-notchstar/
Last updated: 2026-11-04

Published 2026-11-04.

To set a timer on your Mac with NotchStar, hover over the notch to open it, choose the **Timers** tab, make sure **Timer** is selected, pick a length and press the round play button. The ring fills as time passes and the digits count down.

## Steps

1. Hover over the notch, or click it, to open the panel.
2. Choose **Timers**. At the top, select **Timer** rather than Stopwatch or Pomodoro.
3. Open the length menu on the right and choose a length. The first time it is set to 25 minutes.
4. Press the play button. It turns into a pause button while the timer runs.

## Pause, resume and reset

Press the pause button to stop the countdown. The time left stays on screen. Press play again and it carries on from that point. The reset button, the circular arrow on the left, stops the timer and puts it back to the length you chose.

To pause or reset you need the notch open, because the controls live in the panel. If the panel closes while a timer runs, the timer keeps going. Open the notch again to see the time left. A timer does not survive quitting the app, as [this page](https://www.notchstar.com/help/notchstar-timer-after-quit/) explains.

## Limits

The length menu has six choices and no custom entry. The timer does not put the Mac to sleep or shut it down. When it ends it plays a sound, which you can change in the same row. The full feature description is on the [Timers page](https://www.notchstar.com/features/timers/).

## Quick answers.

### Can I type any number of minutes?

No. The Timer mode offers 5, 10, 15, 25, 45 and 60 minutes from a menu.

## Keep reading.

- [Timer, stopwatch and Pomodoro in the notch](https://www.notchstar.com/features/timers/): A timer, stopwatch and Pomodoro with session tracking, always one hover away in the Mac notch. It keeps counting while the notch is closed.
- [Which timer lengths NotchStar offers](https://www.notchstar.com/help/notchstar-timer-lengths/): The NotchStar countdown timer offers 5, 10, 15, 25, 45 and 60 minutes from one menu. There is no custom entry. Here is how to pick one.
- [What happens when a NotchStar timer ends](https://www.notchstar.com/help/what-happens-when-notchstar-timer-ends/): When a NotchStar timer ends it plays your chosen sound and resets to its length. It does not repeat, show a banner or move other windows.
- [How to run a Pomodoro timer on your Mac](https://www.notchstar.com/guides/pomodoro-timer-on-mac/): The Pomodoro technique in practice: block lengths, breaks, what to do when you get interrupted, and how to run it from the Mac notch.

## More in Timers.

- [How to start a Pomodoro session in NotchStar](https://www.notchstar.com/help/start-a-pomodoro-session-notchstar/): Open Timers, choose Pomodoro, pick 25 and 5, 50 and 10 or 15 and 3 minutes, and press play. A ring and four dots track the cycle.
- [Which timer lengths NotchStar offers](https://www.notchstar.com/help/notchstar-timer-lengths/): The NotchStar countdown timer offers 5, 10, 15, 25, 45 and 60 minutes from one menu. There is no custom entry. Here is how to pick one.
- [NotchStar Pomodoro presets: 25/5, 50/10 and 15/3](https://www.notchstar.com/help/notchstar-pomodoro-presets/): NotchStar's Pomodoro timer has three presets: 25 minutes focus and 5 break, 50 and 10, or 15 and 3. Here is how to switch and when to use each.
- [What happens when a NotchStar timer ends](https://www.notchstar.com/help/what-happens-when-notchstar-timer-ends/): When a NotchStar timer ends it plays your chosen sound and resets to its length. It does not repeat, show a banner or move other windows.
- [Can you run more than one timer in NotchStar](https://www.notchstar.com/help/run-two-timers-notchstar/): NotchStar has one Timer, one Stopwatch and one Pomodoro, each with its own state. Only one countdown should run at a time. Here are the limits.
- [Does a NotchStar timer survive quitting the app](https://www.notchstar.com/help/notchstar-timer-after-quit/): Timers reset when NotchStar quits or restarts. The sound you chose is kept. Closing the notch does not stop a timer; quitting the app does.