Stopwatch

Time anything, lap by lap

A stopwatch counts up from zero: how long a practice talk runs, how long each step of a recipe takes, how quickly a puzzle gets solved, or each lap of a toy car race. This one shows hundredths of a second, records up to 999 laps, marks the fastest and slowest, and hands the laps over as text or as a CSV file for a spreadsheet.

How to use it

1. Press Start, or press Space.
2. Press Lap, or L, each time a lap ends. The lap still going shows under the main time.
3. Press Stop, or Space, to pause the count, and Resume to carry on from the same time.
4. When you’re done, copy the laps or download them as CSV, then press Reset, or R, to go back to zero.

Keyboard shortcuts

• Space starts and stops.
• L records a lap while it runs.
• R resets, but only once it’s stopped, so a slip of the finger can’t wipe a running time.

The keys work anywhere on the page except while you type in a box. When another button or a link is selected, Space presses that instead.

Laps, copying and CSV

Each lap shows its own time and the running total. With two laps or more, the shortest is marked Fastest and the longest Slowest; laps that tie are all marked. Times are cut down to the hundredth, never rounded up, so the lap times add up exactly to the totals. Copy laps gives tab-separated lines that paste neatly into an email or a spreadsheet. The CSV file has the lap number, the times as shown, the same times in plain seconds, and the mark.

Good to know

• Background tabs: browsers slow down pages you aren’t looking at, and the numbers may stand still while you’re in another tab. The time is worked out from your device’s clock, not by counting, so it’s right as soon as you come back.
• Your reactions count: pressing a key by hand takes a moment, so treat the last digit as a guide.
• Nothing is saved: closing the page clears the laps, so copy or download them first.
• Working in timed blocks? The Focus Timer runs focus sessions and breaks for you.
• Practicing an interview answer? The STAR Answer Builder helps you shape it before you time it.