A birthday countdown has one requirement most countdowns don’t: it has to repeat every year. Here’s how to set one up on a Mac, whether it’s your own birthday or someone you don’t want to forget.
Just want the number?
Use the free birthday countdown. Enter a date of birth and it shows how many days until the next birthday, and the age being turned. Add a name if it’s someone else’s. To keep it, click Share this countdown: the link has the date built in, so you can bookmark it or pin it as a tab.
Option 1: A repeating event in Calendar
Calendar won’t show a count of days, but it’s the best way to make sure a birthday never sneaks up on you.
- Open Calendar and double-click the birthday to create an event.
- Tick all-day, and set repeat to Every Year.
- Add an alert, such as one week before, so you have time to buy a gift or card.
If the person is in your Contacts with a birthday filled in, you can skip this: Calendar’s Birthdays calendar shows contacts’ birthdays automatically. Make sure it’s enabled in Calendar › Settings › General (Show Birthdays calendar).
Best for: reminders. Missing: a visible countdown.
Option 2: A countdown on your desktop
On macOS Sonoma and later, right-click the desktop and choose Edit Widgets. Apple’s Calendar widget will show the birthday when it’s coming up, and third-party countdown widgets from the Mac App Store (or iPhone widgets, via System Settings › Desktop & Dock › Use iPhone widgets) can show the days left. Check that the app you choose supports yearly repeating dates.
Best for: people whose desktop is often visible. Missing: you won’t see it while windows are covering the desktop.
Option 3: A birthday countdown in your Mac’s notch
Notchiko, which we make, keeps birthdays by your MacBook’s notch, each with its own little character, and works out how old everyone is turning.
- Download Notchiko and open it.
- Hover over the notch and click +. (Or choose Settings… from Notchiko’s menu bar icon and open Countdowns.)
- Choose Age & Birthday at the top.
- Type their name, like Mom, pick their date of birth, and choose Person or Pet. Notchiko suggests the Cupcake (or a dog for pets).
- Click Add.
The Cupcake now sits by the notch. Hover to see how many days are left and the age they’re turning, like “23 days · Mom turns 60”. On the day it says “Mom is 60 today 🎉”, and afterwards it moves on to next year’s birthday by itself. More in Age & Birthday.
The free version includes 3 birthdays, alongside Christmas and one custom countdown. For the whole family, Notchiko Lifetime (a one-time $4.99) allows up to 25 countdowns and birthdays together, and adds the Cake Chiko and birthday confetti. On Macs without a notch, Notchiko appears as a small floating pill. Requires macOS 14 Sonoma or later.
Best for: seeing the countdown all day. Missing: no iPhone app.
Tips for birthday countdowns
- Name it after the person. “Sam’s Birthday” is more useful at a glance than “Birthday”.
- Count down to the party, too. If the celebration is on a different day, add it as a separate, non-repeating countdown.
- February 29 birthdays. Decide whether you celebrate on February 28 or March 1 in other years. Our web countdown and Notchiko both use February 28.
- Kids’ birthdays. A countdown a child can see answers “how many more days?” so you don’t have to.
Planning other big dates? See how to set up a wedding countdown or a vacation countdown on your Mac.
