What Is an Online Stopwatch?
An online stopwatch is a precise timing tool that runs directly in your web browser. No download or installation is needed — just click Start and begin timing. It works on any computer, laptop, tablet, or smartphone with a modern browser.
Use it to track workout intervals, time presentations, measure task durations, or run science experiments with split-second accuracy.
How to Use the Online Stopwatch
- Click Start to begin timing.
- Click Lap to record a split time without stopping the clock.
- Click Pause to temporarily stop the stopwatch. Press Resume to continue.
- Click Reset to clear the timer and all laps back to zero.
Features
- High precision: Centisecond (1/100th second) accuracy for reliable timing.
- Lap & split times: Record unlimited laps with individual split durations.
- Best & worst laps: When you have three or more laps, the fastest is highlighted in green and the slowest in red.
- Tab title updates: See the elapsed time in your browser tab even when you switch away.
- No installation: Works instantly in Chrome, Safari, Firefox, and Edge.
Use Cases
- Sports & fitness: Track running laps, swimming splits, HIIT intervals, and rest periods.
- Education: Time exam sections, quiz rounds, and classroom activities.
- Productivity: Measure how long tasks take using time-boxing or the Pomodoro technique.
- Cooking: Time recipes, fermentation, and brewing processes.
- Gaming & competitions: Speedrun tracking, debate timing, and board-game turns.
FAQ
Does the stopwatch continue when I switch tabs?
Yes. The stopwatch uses high-resolution timing and continues accurately even when the tab is in the background. The elapsed time is also shown in the browser tab title.
Can I run the stopwatch on my phone?
Absolutely. The stopwatch is fully responsive and works on iOS and Android devices through any modern mobile browser.
How accurate is the online stopwatch?
The stopwatch uses performance.now() and requestAnimationFrame for sub-millisecond precision. Display resolution is centiseconds (10 ms).
Get Started
Hit Start and time anything instantly — no sign-up, no download, no hassle. It's the fastest free online stopwatch with lap times available.