# How to use a stopwatch on a 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.

Canonical: https://www.notchstar.com/tips/use-stopwatch-on-mac/
Last updated: 2026-11-04

Published 2026-11-04.

Open the Clock app, click Stopwatch at the top of the window, and click Start. Click Lap to record a split, and Stop to record the final time. Apple's guide says the stopwatch times events to the hundredth of a second, including laps.

## Steps

1. Open the Clock app.
2. Click **Stopwatch** at the top of the window, or choose **View > Stopwatch**.
3. Click **Start** to begin timing.
4. Click **Lap** to record a lap or split. Repeat as often as you need.
5. Click **Stop** to record the final time.
6. To clear the stopwatch, click **Reset**. To carry on from where you stopped, click **Start** again.

## Things worth knowing

Timing continues if you switch to another app or your Mac goes to sleep. That makes the stopwatch good for a long task: start it, do other things, and read it later.

You can change the face. Choose **View > View Digital Stopwatch** or **View > View Analog Stopwatch**.

For quicker access, click the time in the menu bar, then click the Clock widget, as the next tip explains in [opening Clock from the menu bar](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/open-the-clock-timer-from-the-menu-bar-on-mac/).

## Stopwatch or timer

A stopwatch counts up and has no end point. Use it when you want to know how long something takes, such as a recipe step or a workout set. A timer counts down to zero and alerts you. Use it when you want to be told when time is up. The [timer steps](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/how-to-set-a-timer-on-mac/) are on their own page.

## Clock is not the only place

Clock is a full window, so if you want to time something while you work in another app, you need to switch to it. NotchStar's [Timers tool](https://www.notchstar.com/features/timers/) has a stopwatch tab in the notch. It counts up with a ring that completes every minute and keeps counting until you stop it. Use Clock when you need laps. Timers reset when NotchStar quits.

## 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 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 open the Clock timer from the Mac menu bar](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/open-the-clock-timer-from-the-menu-bar-on-mac/): 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.

## 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 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.
- [How to open the Clock timer from the Mac menu bar](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/open-the-clock-timer-from-the-menu-bar-on-mac/): 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.