A countdown timer for Mac — free, with nothing to download
Set any date and keep a live countdown clock on your Mac desktop. Add it to the Dock, tile it beside your work, or put it full screen on an external display. It runs in Safari or Chrome on any MacBook or iMac, so there is no App Store download, no installer to approve, and nothing to keep updated.
Year-End Deadline
How to put a countdown on your Mac desktop
Setting up a countdown clock for your Mac takes about a minute, with nothing to install.
Set your date
Pick the deadline, trip, or last day of work, choose a style, and copy your countdown link. No account needed.
Add it to your Dock
In Safari on macOS Sonoma or later, open your countdown and choose File > Add to Dock. In Chrome, open the ⋮ menu and use Install page as app. Either way you get a Dock icon that opens the countdown in its own window.
Tile it or go full screen
Hover over the green button in the window's corner to tile it to one side of the screen, drag it onto an external display, or choose Enter Full Screen to give it a whole monitor.
Is there a countdown widget for Mac?
Not a built-in one that counts down to a date. Since macOS Sonoma you can drag widgets out of Notification Center onto the desktop, but none of Apple's own widgets counts the days until a date you pick, and desktop widgets only come from installed apps. The Clock app's timer is made for minutes and hours, not the days left until a deadline.
The closest thing to a countdown desktop widget on a Mac or MacBook is a small app window you never close. Add the countdown to your Dock, shrink the window, and park it in a corner of the screen. Assign it to All Desktops from its Dock icon and it follows you across every Space, showing a live day count instead of a number you have to remember to update.
Build your Mac countdownDo you need a countdown app for your Mac?
Whether you are after a countdown app for a MacBook or a countdown clock for a desktop Mac, most people want the same thing: a number on screen that ticks down while they work. A downloaded app is one way to get it. On a work Mac that can mean an admin password or a request to IT, and on any Mac it is one more app to keep updated.
A browser countdown skips all of that. It runs on any Mac that can open a website, it never needs updating, and the link you set up at your desk opens the same countdown on your iPhone or anyone else's computer.
- A project or client deadline on the external display next to your MacBook
- Days until retirement on the iMac at the office you are about to leave
- A launch or release date on a studio or dev-team Mac
- Exam day, tiled beside your notes on a student MacBook
- A vacation countdown kept in the Dock on the family iMac
- A shared team deadline that opens from one link on every Mac and PC
Using a Windows PC instead?
Nothing here is Mac-only. The same countdown runs in Edge or Chrome on Windows 10 and 11, and the Windows page covers pinning it to the taskbar and snapping it beside your work.
Countdown Timer for WindowsMore countdowns for your Mac
Countdown templates for a Mac desktop
Styles that read well in a tiled window or across a whole external display, in dark mode or light.
Dark Mode
Near-black that disappears into a Mac in dark mode, so only the numbers stand out.
Graphite
A soft charcoal that sits quietly in a tiled window beside your work.
Light Mode
Clean and bright for a MacBook screen in daylight or a light-mode desktop.
Retirement Desk
Warm tones for the countdown that stays on a work Mac the longest.
Launch Day
High-contrast green for a dev machine or an external display in the studio.
Mac countdown FAQ
Quick answers to the most common questions about countdowns on a Mac, MacBook, or iMac.
Is there a free countdown timer for Mac?
Yes. This one runs in Safari, Chrome, or Firefox on any Mac, costs nothing, and has no signup, trial, or in-app purchase. Set a date, open the link, and leave it running as long as you like.
Do I need to download a countdown app for Mac?
No. There is nothing to download from the App Store or the web, no installer to approve, and nothing to keep updated. If you want it to feel like an app, Safari's Add to Dock (macOS Sonoma and later) or Chrome's Install page as app opens it in its own window with a Dock icon — that is a browser feature, not a download.
Is there a countdown widget for Mac?
Not a built-in one that counts down to a date. Since macOS Sonoma you can place widgets on the desktop, but none of Apple's own widgets counts down the days to a date you choose, and widgets only come from installed apps. A small countdown window in its own Dock app is the practical equivalent: always one click away, with a live day count.
How do I put a countdown on my Mac desktop?
Set your date here, add the countdown to your Dock from Safari or Chrome, then resize its window and park it in a corner or tile it to one side. To see it on every desktop, Control-click its Dock icon, choose Options, and set Assign To to All Desktops.
Can I keep the countdown on top of other windows on a Mac?
macOS does not let an ordinary window stay on top of everything else. Tiling the countdown to one side of the screen keeps other windows from covering it, and putting it full screen on an external display keeps it in view all day.
Does it work on a MacBook as well as an iMac?
Yes. It runs the same on a MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac, Mac mini, or Mac Studio, on Apple silicon or Intel, because it is a web page rather than an app built for one model. On a laptop, a small tiled window works best; on a desktop Mac or external display, full screen does.
Can the countdown open automatically when my Mac starts?
Yes, once it is in your Dock. Control-click its Dock icon, choose Options, and tick Open at Login. You can also add it in System Settings > General > Login Items.
Does the same countdown work on my iPhone and iPad?
Yes. Your countdown lives at its own link, so it opens the same way on a Mac, an iPhone, an iPad, or a Windows PC — useful when you share it with people who are not on a Mac.