How to Add a Timer to PowerPoint or Google Slides
Four ways to put a countdown timer in a presentation, from a 10-second browser trick to an animated bar, with step-by-step instructions.
To add a timer to a PowerPoint presentation, you have four options: run a browser timer next to your slides, link to a timer from a slide, build a countdown bar with animations, or install a timer add-in. The first takes about ten seconds and works in Google Slides too. Here is how each one works and when to use it.
Which method should you use?
| Method | Setup time | Works in Google Slides | Keeps running when you change slides | Alarm sound |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Browser timer in a second window | 10 seconds | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Link to a timer on the slide | 1 minute | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Animated countdown bar | 3 minutes per slide | No | No | Only if you add one |
| Timer add-in | 2 minutes, needs sign-in | No | No | Depends on the add-in |
Method 1: Run a browser timer next to your slides
This is the fastest option and the only one that keeps counting while you move between slides.
- Open a timer such as the classroom timer or a ready-made 5 minute timer.
- Choose the length and press F for full screen.
- Start your slideshow.
- When the activity starts, press Alt+Tab on Windows or Command+Tab on a Mac to bring the timer to the front.
- Press the same shortcut to return to your slides.
On a Chromebook, use Alt+Tab in the same way.
Method 2: Put a timer link on the slide
Use this when you want the timer to be part of the lesson file, so you never have to remember to open it.
- Set up the timer you want, then press Copy link under it. The link remembers your alarm and display settings.
- In PowerPoint, select a word or shape on the slide and press Ctrl+K (Command+K on a Mac).
- Paste the link and confirm.
- During the slideshow, click the link. The timer opens in your browser and starts.
The same steps work in Google Slides with Insert > Link.
Method 3: Build a countdown bar with animations
This keeps everything inside PowerPoint and needs no internet connection.
- Go to Insert > Shapes and draw a long rectangle near the bottom of the slide.
- With the rectangle selected, open the Animations tab and choose Add Animation.
- Under Exit, choose Wipe.
- Open Effect Options and choose the direction the bar should shrink, such as From Right.
- In the Timing group, set Duration to the number of seconds you want, and set Start to With Previous so it begins when the slide appears.
- Play the slide to test it.
If the Duration box will not accept a long time, open the animation’s timing options from the Animation Pane and type the number of seconds there. Keep in mind that the bar restarts if you leave the slide and come back.
Method 4: Install a timer add-in
- In PowerPoint, go to Insert > Add-ins > Get Add-ins.
- Search for “timer” and choose one with good reviews.
- Select Add and place the timer on your slide.
Add-ins need a Microsoft account, and some school districts block them. If the Add-ins button is greyed out, ask your IT department or use one of the other methods.
Adding a timer to Google Slides
Google Slides does not include a timer, so the options are:
- Second tab or window: keep a timer open and switch to it, as in Method 1.
- Link on the slide: as in Method 2.
- Countdown video: go to Insert > Video, search for or paste a countdown video, and set it to play when you click.
Tips for presenting with a timer
- Test the sound first. Click the timer page once before class so the browser allows the alarm.
- Use two displays if you can. Put the slides on the projector and keep the timer on your laptop, or the other way around.
- Choose a display students can read. A traffic-light or visual timer is easier to follow from the back of the room than small digits in a corner of a slide.
- Save your favorites. Bookmark the timers you use most, such as a 2 minute timer for partner talk and a 10 minute timer for group work.
Common questions
How do I add a timer to PowerPoint?
The quickest way is to run a full-screen timer in your browser and switch to it with Alt+Tab (Command+Tab on a Mac) during the slideshow. To keep the timer on the slide itself, either install a timer add-in from Insert > Add-ins, or draw a rectangle and give it a Wipe exit animation whose duration equals your countdown.
How do I insert a timer in PowerPoint without an add-in?
Draw a rectangle across the slide, open the Animations tab, add the Wipe exit animation, and set its duration to the number of seconds you want. During the slideshow the bar shrinks until time is up.
How do I add a timer to Google Slides?
Google Slides has no built-in timer. Paste a link to an online timer on the slide and click it while presenting, or use Insert > Video to embed a countdown video. Many teachers simply keep a timer open in a second browser tab.
Can a PowerPoint timer keep running across several slides?
Not with animations, because an animation stops when you leave its slide. For a timer that keeps running while you change slides, use a browser timer in its own window.
Does the timer make a sound when it ends?
A browser timer plays an alarm when it reaches zero. An animated bar in PowerPoint is silent unless you add a sound to the animation in its Effect Options.