# What happens when a 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.

Canonical: https://www.notchstar.com/help/what-happens-when-notchstar-timer-ends/
Last updated: 2026-11-04

Published 2026-11-04.

When a NotchStar timer reaches zero it plays the sound you picked once, then resets to the length you chose and stops. It does not repeat the sound, show a banner or pop a window. If the timer does not seem to stop playing, it already has: the alert is a single sound.

## Timer mode

At zero the sound plays. The display goes back to the full length, for example `25:00`, and the play button is ready. Nothing starts again until you press play.

## Pomodoro mode

At zero the sound plays and NotchStar moves to the next phase: focus becomes break, break becomes the next focus block. The next phase waits for you to press play. A finished focus block adds one to the sessions done.

## Stopwatch

A stopwatch has no end. It counts up until you pause it.

## If you did not hear it

- If the sound menu is set to **No Sound**, nothing plays. See [how to turn the sound on or off](https://www.notchstar.com/help/turn-off-notchstar-timer-sound/).
- The timer count itself comes from the clock, so closing the notch does not stop it.

## Limits

The only alert is the sound. There is no notification banner, which [its own page](https://www.notchstar.com/help/notchstar-timer-notification/) covers. More on the tool is on the [Timers page](https://www.notchstar.com/features/timers/).

## Quick answers.

### Does the sound repeat until I stop it?

No. It plays once when the timer reaches zero.

## 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.
- [How to change or turn off the NotchStar timer sound](https://www.notchstar.com/help/turn-off-notchstar-timer-sound/): Pick Glass, Ping, Hero, Submarine or Funk for the timer finish sound, or choose No Sound to make it silent. The choice is remembered.
- [Does the NotchStar timer show a notification](https://www.notchstar.com/help/notchstar-timer-notification/): A NotchStar timer ends with a sound, not a banner or macOS notification. Open the notch to see the countdown.
- [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.

## 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.
- [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.
- [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.