“Countdown” can mean two different things on a Mac, and the right tool depends on which one you need:
- A timer, counting down minutes or hours: a pomodoro, a presentation, something in the oven.
- A countdown to a date, counting down days: a trip, a birthday, a launch, Christmas.
macOS handles the first one well out of the box. The second takes a little more setup. Here are the options for both.
Countdown timers: the Clock app
For short countdowns, use the Clock app, which has been on the Mac since macOS Ventura. Open it, choose Timers, and start a timer or pick one of the presets.
The Clock app is designed for durations like 25 minutes, not for dates weeks or months away, so for those, read on.
1. Desktop widgets
macOS Sonoma and later let you place widgets directly on the desktop. Right-click an empty part of the desktop, choose Edit Widgets, and drag a widget out.
Apple doesn’t make a countdown widget, so you have a few routes:
- Calendar: add your date as an event; the Calendar widget shows it once it’s among your upcoming events. It shows the event rather than a day count.
- An App Store widget: search the Mac App Store for “countdown” and look for apps that include a desktop widget.
- iPhone widgets: with an iPhone signed in to the same Apple ID, turn on Use iPhone widgets in System Settings › Desktop & Dock, and a countdown widget from an iPhone app can appear on your Mac desktop.
The catch with any desktop widget is that it disappears behind your windows. If you work with apps full screen or maximized, you’ll rarely see it.
2. A web countdown in its own window
Free, and nothing to install. Open a countdown page, like our Christmas, vacation, or birthday countdowns, and keep it handy:
- In Safari on macOS Sonoma or later, choose File › Add to Dock to turn the page into a separate web app with its own window.
- Or pin it: Window › Pin Tab in Safari, or right-click the tab and choose Pin in Chrome.
For a personal countdown, enter your date, click Share this countdown to get a link with the date built in, and pin or bookmark that link.
3. A Shortcut in the menu bar
If you like to tinker, the Shortcuts app can calculate days until a date. Build a shortcut with a Date action, Get Time Between Dates (from Current Date, in days), and Show Result. Then pin it to the menu bar from the shortcut’s details. You’ll need to click it to see the number, and edit it when the date changes.
4. A menu bar or notch app
The menu bar is the only part of the screen that windows never cover (unless an app is full screen), which makes it the most reliable place for a countdown you want to see all day.
There are menu bar countdown apps on the Mac App Store that show a number next to the clock. Notchiko, which we make, uses the area around a MacBook’s notch instead: each countdown gets a small animated character, and hovering over the notch shows the days left for each one.
To add a countdown in Notchiko:
- Download Notchiko and open it. Christmas is already counting down.
- Hover over the notch and click +, or choose Settings… from Notchiko’s menu bar icon and open Countdowns.
- Enter a name and a date. Notchiko suggests a character that fits, like the Suitcase for a trip or the Cupcake for a birthday.
- Turn on Repeats every year for birthdays and anniversaries, then click Add.
On Macs without a notch, Notchiko shows as a floating pill you can place at the top, sides, or bottom of the screen (Settings › General). The free version includes Christmas and one custom countdown; Lifetime unlocks up to 10.
Which should you use?
- A timer for the next hour: the Clock app.
- A date you check occasionally: a bookmarked web countdown.
- A date you want on your desktop, and your desktop is often visible: a widget.
- A date you want to see all day: a menu bar or notch app.
Want to see how many days are left right now? Start with the countdowns for every occasion.
