40 Second Timer – Free Visual Countdown Timer with Alarm

Forty seconds on and twenty off is a common HIIT pattern, and forty seconds is a fair turn in fast word and drawing games. Press Start and watch the red circle shrink as the time runs out.

Go full screen to show the 40 second timer on a projector or smartboard. When time is up, a chime plays and the screen says "Time’s up!".

Ideas for using it

HIIT work intervals
Drawing and guessing game turns
Rapid-fire quiz answers
Short stretches between tasks

How to use the timer

Tap a time (or type your own, like 7, 2:30 or 1h 15m) and press Start.
Use Full screen on a supported browser to show the timer on a projector, smartboard or TV. Check the actual display before relying on it.
When the time is up, the timer shows Time’s up! and attempts to play a chime if sound is on. Keep the device awake and test the audio first. Reset prepares another round.

Timers by length

Quick countdowns · up to 2 minutes

Short activities · 3–20 minutes

Longer sessions · 25 minutes and up

Add this 40 second timer to your website

Teachers can put it on a class website or Google Sites page: paste this free, ad-free embed code into a page that allows iframes. Full screen also depends on the host page and browser allowing it. Check the preview and adjust the iframe height in your site editor if it is clipped; test the published page before an activity.

<iframe id="vt-40-second-timer" src="https://visualtimer.org/embed/40-second-timer/" title="40 Second Timer" width="100%" height="560" style="border:0;max-width:960px" allow="fullscreen; screen-wake-lock" allowfullscreen loading="lazy"></iframe>
<p style="font-size:13px;margin:4px 0 0">40 second timer by <a href="https://visualtimer.org/40-second-timer/">visualtimer.org</a></p>
<script>addEventListener('message',function(e){if(e.origin==='https://visualtimer.org'&&e.data&&e.data.vtHeight&&e.data.path==='/embed/40-second-timer/'){var f=document.getElementById('vt-40-second-timer');if(f)f.style.height=e.data.vtHeight+'px'}})</script>

Preview the embed ↗

More timers

Countdowns

Frequently asked questions

How do I set a 40 second timer?

This page is already set to 40 seconds. Just press Start (or the space bar). To change the time, tap another length or type your own.

Will the timer keep running if I switch tabs?

The timer calculates the remaining time from an end time and can catch up after a delayed update. Browsers can throttle or suspend hidden pages, so an alarm may be delayed. Keep the timer visible and the device awake when timing matters; sleeping devices and closed tabs are not supported.