What the countdown shows
The result is split into days, hours, minutes and seconds, and it updates every second while the page is open. If you leave out the time, the tool counts to the start of that day, at midnight.
All times follow the clock and time zone of your own device, so a countdown to 9:00 a.m. means 9:00 a.m. wherever you are.
When the date has already passed
If you choose a date in the past, the tool flips the message and tells you how many days ago it was. That is useful for the opposite kind of milestone, such as how long since you quit a habit, moved to a new city or started a job.
Ideas for what to count down to
- A summer road trip or a flight to see family.
- The first day of school or the last day of the semester.
- Thanksgiving, Christmas, the Fourth of July or New Year's Eve.
- A due date, a wedding or a retirement party.
- The next season of a show you are looking forward to.
A few things worth knowing
The countdown relies on your device's clock. If the clock is wrong, or you travel to another time zone, the numbers will shift to match. Daylight saving changes are handled by the browser, so a countdown that crosses a daylight saving change still lands on the right clock time.
For anything critical, such as a tax filing deadline, a ticket sale or an application cutoff, check the official time and time zone yourself instead of depending on a countdown.
Questions people ask
Does the countdown keep running if I close the page?
No. Nothing is saved, so open the page again and enter the date to see the current time left.
Which time zone does it use?
Your device's local time zone.
Can I count down to a specific time of day?
Yes. Add a time along with the date, otherwise the countdown targets the start of the day.
What happens when it reaches zero?
The tool stops the clock and shows the date as passed, counted in days ago.