# Focus Timer - Work and Break Cycles with Adjustable Lengths and Rounds

Page: https://hirantha.me/tools/focus-timer
Part of: Hirantha Sandaruwan Lakshan free tools (https://hirantha.me/tools)
Updated: 2026-10-15

Free focus timer with 25 minute work, 5 minute short breaks and a long break every 4 rounds, all adjustable, with a round counter, sound and tab title.

This is a free tool that runs in the browser: open the page to use it. File tools process files on the visitor's own device; files are never uploaded or stored. No account, sign-up, payment or watermark.

Work for 25 minutes, take a 5 minute break, and after four work intervals take a longer one. The lengths start at 25, 5 and 15 minutes and you can change all of them, along with the number of rounds before the long break. The timer counts your rounds, plays a sound when each phase ends, can start the next phase by itself, and shows the phase and time left in the tab title. It runs in your browser and nothing is saved or sent.

The Pomodoro Technique was developed by Francesco Cirillo in the late 1980s (Wikipedia, checked 2026-10-15). The official site shows a classic timer wound to 25 minutes, then a 5 minute break (pomodorotechnique.com, checked 2026-10-15). This timer starts with those lengths and adds a long break after four work intervals, which is a common convention: the official pages we read do not give the length of a long break, Duke University's Academic Resource Center says 15 to 30 minutes, and Wikipedia says typically 20 to 30. We default to 15 minutes and you can change every length. They are conventions, not rules, and the official site itself says the technique is much more than a sequence of 25-minute sessions. Pomodoro® is a registered trademark (pomodorotechnique.com). This is an independent, free timer. It is not affiliated with, associated with, or endorsed by the Pomodoro Technique® or Francesco Cirillo.

Phases run in order: work, short break, work, short break, and so on. After every N-th finished work interval (4 by default) the break is the long one, and then a new set begins. The round counter shows where you are in the set. Skip moves on to the next phase and does not count a skipped work interval. Reset phase restarts the current phase, and Start over returns to round 1. A work interval that runs to its end adds one to Work intervals completed.

Each phase stores the moment it ends and reads your device's clock, so the time stays right in a background tab. With automatic start on, the next phase begins at the moment the last one ended, even if the page noticed late. If you were away for longer than the whole next phase (the device slept), it waits for you instead of counting phases you did not work through. A sound plays at the end of each phase, a rising chime after work and a falling one after a break, also scheduled on the audio clock ahead of time as a best effort to keep it on time. Browsers only allow sound after a click (MDN autoplay guide), so press Start once.

The count of completed work intervals and your lengths are kept in memory only. They reset when you reload or close the page, and nothing is written to storage or sent anywhere. A change to the lengths applies to the next phase: the one that is running keeps its length. Lengths must be whole numbers: work 1 to 180 minutes, short break 1 to 60, long break 1 to 120, and 1 to 12 rounds. A box that is not valid falls back to the default and says so.

Q: How long should a work interval be?
A: The official Pomodoro Technique site shows a timer wound to 25 minutes with a 5 minute break, and 25 minutes is the usual default. It is a convention: set the work length that suits you, from 1 to 180 minutes.

Q: How long should the long break be?
A: There is no single answer. Duke University's Academic Resource Center says 15 to 30 minutes, and Wikipedia says typically 20 to 30. This timer defaults to 15 minutes and lets you set 1 to 120.

Q: Does the timer keep running in a background tab?
A: Yes. It works from the end moment of each phase and your device's clock, so the time is right when you return. The end sound is also scheduled on the audio clock, which is meant to keep it from being held up by a hidden tab, but that varies by browser. In Chrome the tab title can update only about once a minute after the tab has been hidden for more than five minutes.

Q: What happens if I skip a phase, or a phase ends while I am away?
A: Skipping a work interval does not count it, and skipping a break goes to work. If a phase ends while you are away and automatic start is off, the timer waits at the next phase. With automatic start on, it only continues by itself if you were away for less than the whole next phase.

Q: Are my completed work intervals saved?
A: No. The count is kept in memory only, so it resets when you reload or close the page. Nothing is stored in your browser or sent anywhere. Use Clear to set the count back to zero without reloading.

Q: Can I use other lengths, such as 50 minutes of work and 10 of rest?
A: Yes. Enter any whole number of minutes: work from 1 to 180, short break from 1 to 60 and long break from 1 to 120, and 1 to 12 rounds before the long break.

Q: Who invented the Pomodoro Technique?
A: Francesco Cirillo developed it in the late 1980s, according to Wikipedia. His official site, pomodorotechnique.com, describes the method and has its own timers, and it states that Pomodoro® is a registered trademark. This page is an independent, free timer. It is not affiliated with, associated with, or endorsed by the Pomodoro Technique® or Francesco Cirillo.

Sources: Pomodoro Classic Timer - the official Pomodoro Technique site (25 minutes and a 5 minute break), checked 2026-10-15 (https://www.pomodorotechnique.com/solutions/pomodoro-classic-timer/); What is the Pomodoro Technique - the official Pomodoro Technique site, checked 2026-10-15 (https://www.pomodorotechnique.com/what-is-the-pomodoro-technique); Pomodoro Technique - Wikipedia (typical break lengths, late 1980s origin), checked 2026-10-15 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pomodoro_Technique); Pomodoro Technique - Duke University Academic Resource Center (5 minute break, 15 to 30 minute long break), checked 2026-10-15 (https://arc.duke.edu/pomodoro-technique); Autoplay guide for media and Web Audio APIs - MDN, checked 2026-10-15 (https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/Media/Guides/Autoplay); Heavy throttling of chained JS timers beginning in Chrome 88 - Chrome for Developers, checked 2026-10-15 (https://developer.chrome.com/blog/timer-throttling-in-chrome-88)

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