# How to open the Clock timer from the Mac menu bar > Click the time in the menu bar, then the Clock widget, to start a timer or stopwatch faster. Also how to keep a timer visible while you work. Canonical: https://www.notchstar.com/tips/open-the-clock-timer-from-the-menu-bar-on-mac/ Last updated: 2026-11-04 Published 2026-11-04. Click the time in the menu bar, then click the Clock widget. Apple's Clock guide gives this as the quicker way to reach Clock. It saves you from searching for the app each time you want a timer or stopwatch. ## Steps 1. Click the time at the right end of the menu bar. 2. Click the Clock widget that appears. 3. Choose **Timers** or **Stopwatch** in the Clock window, and set it going. If you only need the time and not a countdown, the clock in the menu bar already shows it. Once Clock is open, the two tabs you will use most are the ones at the top of the window. Click **Timers** for a countdown that alerts you when it ends, or **Stopwatch** for a count up with laps. The timer steps are on [their own page](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/how-to-set-a-timer-on-mac/), including how to pause, resume and cancel, and how to name a timer and pick its sound. ## What the menu bar cannot do Apple's pages describe a way to open Clock from the menu bar. They do not describe a live countdown that stays in the menu bar while a timer runs. The pages checked on 4 November 2026 say nothing either way, so this page does not claim it. If you want to see a running timer, keep the Clock window visible, or use the notification that appears when it ends. ## Faster than searching Opening Clock through Spotlight works, but it takes a few keystrokes each time. If you set timers many times a day, the menu bar route is shorter. ## When you want it in the notch A timer that lives in the notch is one hover away and does not need a window. NotchStar's [Timers tool](https://www.notchstar.com/features/timers/) offers a timer from 5 to 60 minutes, a stopwatch and a Pomodoro mode. It keeps counting while the notch is closed, and you choose a finish sound from Glass, Ping, Hero, Submarine or Funk, or turn the sound off. Timers reset when NotchStar quits. If you are new to Clock, start with the [basic timer steps](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/how-to-set-a-timer-on-mac/), and see how to [use the stopwatch](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/use-stopwatch-on-mac/). ## 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 set a timer on a Mac](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/how-to-set-a-timer-on-mac/): Open the Clock app, click Timers, set the time and click Start. Steps for pausing, naming and repeating timers, and what happens when your Mac sleeps. - [How to use a stopwatch on a Mac](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/use-stopwatch-on-mac/): Open Clock, click Stopwatch, press Start, Lap and Stop. Switch between digital and analog faces, and know that timing continues if the Mac sleeps. - [How to run more than one timer on a Mac](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/run-several-timers-on-mac/): Add timers in the Clock app with Custom Timer or Presets, name each one, give it a sound, and see all of them at once. Steps and limits. ## More in Timers and focus. - [How to set a timer on a Mac](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/how-to-set-a-timer-on-mac/): Open the Clock app, click Timers, set the time and click Start. Steps for pausing, naming and repeating timers, and what happens when your Mac sleeps. - [How to use the Pomodoro technique on a Mac](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/pomodoro-technique-on-mac/): Run 25 minute focus blocks with short breaks on a Mac using the Clock app and a Focus, and see when a dedicated Pomodoro timer is easier. - [How to make a Mac stop playing music after a timer](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/stop-music-with-a-timer-on-mac/): Set a timer in the Clock app and choose Stop Playing in the When timer ends menu, so music or video stops on its own, for example before you sleep. - [How to use a stopwatch on a Mac](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/use-stopwatch-on-mac/): Open Clock, click Stopwatch, press Start, Lap and Stop. Switch between digital and analog faces, and know that timing continues if the Mac sleeps. - [How to run more than one timer on a Mac](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/run-several-timers-on-mac/): Add timers in the Clock app with Custom Timer or Presets, name each one, give it a sound, and see all of them at once. Steps and limits. - [How to stop notifications while you focus on a Mac](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/focus-without-notifications-on-mac/): Turn on Do Not Disturb in Control Center or create a Focus in System Settings, choose who and what can get through, and schedule it by time or app.