Unlike the other countdown timer apps, Countdown Timer Plus adds the. Perhaps in the future the Mac will include a Clock app like the iPad and iPhone with more timer, stopwatch, and other type of features, or expand those functionalities into the Mac clock widget – shown at the top of this post – which could work too.Īnd by the way, sometimes you have to be persistent for Siri to figure this out and actually to set a timer on the Mac. The app ads a menu bar icon and clicking it enables countdown timers to be added to it. Pick the date you want to execute the alert. Head to Launchpad and search for Calendar using the search tool.
So that’s the easiest way to set a timer on the Mac, thanks to good old Siri. Here’s how to use Calendar to set a timer on Mac. This is worth paying attention to if you frequently use the Do Not Disturb mode features on the Mac (or have it always on, like me) to focus, and were planning on using a timer on the Mac as something like a pomodoro timer or time management trick (for what it’s worth, if you wanted to use the timer on the Mac for pomodoro or task management, then the Be Focused app is free on the Mac App Store and does that job from the menu bar). Focus To-Do: Pomodoro Timer & To Do List (Mac, Windows, iOS, Android).
Similarly, if you set timers with HomePod then you will be familiar with the Siri approach to this.Īn interesting component of using Siri to set a timer on Mac is that it uses the Reminders app on the Mac to set the timer, and the timer does not count down visually like it does on iPhone or iPad.Īdditionally, because the Mac Timer set by Siri is using the Reminders app, if you have Do Not Disturb or a Focus mode enabled, you might miss the alert signifying that the timer is up. If you’ve been previously setting a timer on iPhone or iPad either with the Clock app, or with Siri, you’ll likely find this functionality is familiar to you. Remember those session goals you can set. If you use Type to Siri on the Mac, then you can simply initiate Siri then type out “set a timer for (time)” and it will accomplish the same thing. You can even sync the sessions to clock, taking break on 25th and then on 55th minute of each hour.
Otherwise, activate Siri through the menu bar, or by launching it directly to issue the timer setting command. If you have Hey Siri enabled on the Mac you can use voice commands.