Countdown Calculator
A live countdown to any date and time, ticking in days, hours, minutes and seconds. Pick a date that has already gone and it counts up instead, telling you how long ago it was. The countdown runs against your own clock, so it is correct wherever you are.
Count down to a date
How to use this calculator
- Pick the date. Add a time if the moment matters — a launch, a deadline, a kick-off.
- Press Calculate. The countdown starts ticking immediately and keeps going while the page is open.
This one deliberately uses your local clock
The other date tools here work in UTC so that the answer does not depend on where you are. A countdown is the exception: "how long until midnight on New Year's Eve" means your midnight, so it is measured against your device's clock and time zone.
That has a consequence worth knowing. If you are counting down to an event in another country, enter the time as it will be on your clock, or convert it first with the time zone converter. A 9am meeting in New York is not 9am in London.
Counting up from a date that has passed
Enter a date in the past and the calculator says so and counts up instead — how long since a birth, an anniversary, a start date, a sobriety date. The figures are the same either way, just pointing in the other direction.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I create a countdown to a specific date?
Enter the date, add a time if you need one, and press Calculate. The countdown updates every second while the page is open. Leaving the time empty counts to midnight at the start of that day.
Can I count down to a holiday?
Yes. Look the date up with the holiday calculator if you are not sure when it falls, then enter it here. Movable holidays such as Easter and Thanksgiving change date each year.
What happens if the date has already passed?
It counts up rather than down, and says so. That makes it useful for anniversaries, days since a milestone, or how long something has been running.
Does the countdown use my time zone?
Yes, deliberately. A countdown means time until the moment arrives on your clock, so it uses your device's time zone. For an event in another country, convert the time first with the time zone converter.
Does the countdown keep running if I close the page?
No. It runs in the page while it is open. Reopen the page and enter the date again to restart it; nothing is stored.