How to set a timer on a Mac
Yes, a Mac has a timer. Open the Clock app, click Timers at the top of the window, set how long you want, and click Start. The timer keeps counting if you switch to another app or your Mac goes to sleep, according to Apple’s Clock guide.
Steps
- Open the Clock app. You can find it with Spotlight or in the Applications folder.
- Click Timers at the top of the window, or choose View > Timers.
- Set the countdown duration.
- Click Start.
While the timer runs you can click Pause to stop it for a moment and Resume to carry on. Click Cancel to reset it.
When the timer ends
Apple says you get a notification when a timer finishes. Click Options on the notification, then choose Stop to end it or Repeat to run the same timer again. If you do not see the notification, check that notifications are allowed for Clock in System Settings.
Name it and pick a sound
Click the Add button in the top right corner of the Timers window to make another timer. You can choose Custom Timer, or Presets for common lengths such as 5 minutes or 1 hour. Give the timer a name, then pick a sound from the pop up menu under the name field. A name helps when a tea timer and a work timer run together. The next tip covers running several timers.
Remove a timer
Click the timer in the sidebar and click Cancel at the bottom. On a trackpad you can also swipe left with two fingers and click Delete.
Which macOS versions
Apple’s page, checked on 4 November 2026, shows these steps for macOS 27 and lists macOS Tahoe 26 and macOS Sequoia 15 in its version picker without listing any differences.
A timer you can see without opening an app
The Clock app is a window, so you have to switch to it. If you want a timer a hover away in the notch, NotchStar’s Timers tool offers a timer from 5 to 60 minutes, a stopwatch and a Pomodoro mode. It keeps counting while the notch is closed and plays a sound at the end. Timers reset when NotchStar quits, and the finish alert is a sound, not a banner.
