# How to start a Pomodoro session in 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.

Canonical: https://www.notchstar.com/help/start-a-pomodoro-session-notchstar/
Last updated: 2026-11-04

Published 2026-11-04.

NotchStar has a Pomodoro timer built into the Timers tab. Open the notch, choose **Timers**, select **Pomodoro** and press play. It starts a focus block, 25 minutes by default, and tells you which phase and which session of four you are on.

## Steps

1. Hover over the notch to open it and choose **Timers**.
2. Select **Pomodoro** at the top.
3. Check the preset on the right. It reads 25 / 5 min until you change it. See [the three presets](https://www.notchstar.com/help/notchstar-pomodoro-presets/).
4. Press play. The label reads **Focus**, the ring fills clockwise and the text under it reads Session 1 of 4.

## What you see

- A ring that fills during the block. During a break the ring turns green.
- The words Focus or Break.
- Four small dots. One lights up for each focus block you finish.
- A line of text counting focus sessions done.

## What happens at the end of a block

A sound plays and NotchStar moves to the next phase. It does not start that phase by itself. You press play to begin the break, and press play again to begin the next focus block. After the fourth session the cycle wraps back to session 1.

## Limits

Three presets, no custom lengths. The session count lives in memory, so quitting NotchStar resets it. For the method itself, read the [Pomodoro guide](https://www.notchstar.com/guides/pomodoro-timer-on-mac/). The tool is described on the [Timers feature page](https://www.notchstar.com/features/timers/).

## 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.
- [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.
- [How to skip a Pomodoro phase in NotchStar](https://www.notchstar.com/help/skip-pomodoro-phase-sessions/): Press the skip button next to play in Pomodoro mode to jump from focus to break or back. A skipped focus block still counts toward the four dots.
- [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 set a timer on your Mac with NotchStar](https://www.notchstar.com/help/set-a-timer-on-mac-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.
- [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.