Stopwatch

How to Use the Stopwatch

1. Press Start. The time counts up from zero in minutes, seconds and tenths of a second, and the tab title shows the whole seconds.
2. Press Lap each time you want to mark a point, such as the end of a lap, a round or a step.
3. Pause to stop the clock and Resume to carry on from the same time. Reset, which appears once the stopwatch is paused, clears the time and the laps.

Lap Time and Total Time

Each row has two times. The lap time is how long that lap took: the time since the previous lap, or since the start for the first one. The total, also called the split, is the elapsed time at the moment you pressed Lap. The lap times always add up to the last total.

Once there are at least two laps with different times, the fastest and the slowest are marked. The list keeps up to 100 laps.

How the Stopwatch Stays Accurate

The stopwatch does not count updates. It notes when each running stretch began, using the browser's steady clock, and adds up the stretches. Changing the computer's date or time does not affect it, and neither does how often the screen refreshes. Time is shown in tenths of a second, rounded down. It stops by itself at 99 hours, 59 minutes and 59.9 seconds.

Using the Stopwatch in Another Browser Tab

Browsers pause screen updates in background tabs. The stopwatch keeps measuring anyway, and shows the correct time the moment you come back. The page has to stay open: closing or reloading it ends the measurement, because nothing is saved.

Common Uses

• Workouts, running laps and timed drills.
• How long a task, a test or a step in a process takes.
• Study and focus sessions you want to measure rather than limit.
• Cooking steps, experiments and presentation practice.

A stopwatch counts up from zero and has no end. To count down from a time you already know, use the Countdown Timer.

Stopwatch FAQ