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makeshortwork.com Countdown Generator
PT

Countdown generator

Pick a date or a duration, style it, and either project it full screen or copy an embed snippet that works anywhere.

Preview

Embed on your site

Paste this snippet where the countdown should appear. It is self-contained — no external files.

Two ways to use it

Full screen turns the browser into a display: large digits, your background colour, no interface. It is built for the cases where a countdown is the whole point of the screen — a workshop timer projected on a wall, a lobby display before doors open, a stream overlay, a classroom exercise. Escape closes it.

The embed is for putting the same countdown inside a page you control: a launch page, an event site, a sales deadline. Copy the snippet, paste it where the timer should appear, done.

Why the embed is self-contained

Most countdown widgets give you a <script src="…"> pointing at the provider's CDN. That is convenient and it is a dependency: if the provider goes down, changes its pricing, or is blocked by an ad blocker or a Content Security Policy, your countdown silently disappears from your own page.

The snippet here has no external references. It carries its own markup, its own CSS scoped to a random ID so it cannot collide with your stylesheet, and its own inline script. Paste it once and it is yours — you can read every line of it, edit it, and it will still be running years from now regardless of what happens to this site.

Timezones, handled properly

This is where countdown widgets usually get it wrong. You pick a date in your local time, but visitors are elsewhere. If the target is stored as a naive local date string, a visitor in another timezone counts down to a different moment than you intended — often hours off.

The generated snippet converts your chosen date to a UTC timestamp at generation time. Everyone, everywhere, counts down to the same absolute instant. If you actually want a per-visitor local deadline — "offer ends at midnight, wherever you are" — use duration mode instead, which starts from the moment each visitor loads the page.

Design notes

Privacy

Everything runs in your browser. Nothing you configure is uploaded, and the embed you copy does not report back to us — we have no way of knowing where it is installed or how many people see it.

Frequently asked questions

Does the embed code depend on your site staying online?

No. The snippet is entirely self-contained — one div, one style block and one inline script. It loads nothing from us, so it keeps working if this site disappears. The only reference to us is the small 'Powered by' credit, which is a plain link.

Will the embed work on WordPress, Webflow or Squarespace?

Yes, in any block that accepts raw HTML — a Custom HTML block in WordPress, an Embed element in Webflow, a Code block in Squarespace. Because there is no external file, it also works on sites with a strict Content Security Policy that blocks third-party scripts, as long as inline scripts are permitted.

What timezone does the countdown use?

The date you pick is interpreted in your own timezone, then stored in the embed as a UTC timestamp. That means every visitor worldwide counts down to the same instant, rather than to their local wall clock. For a product launch or a live event, that is what you want.

What happens when it reaches zero?

It shows the end text you set and stops the interval. It does not go negative or start counting up. If you need a specific action at zero — redirecting, revealing content — you can edit the snippet: the branch that renders the end text is where to add it.

Can I project the countdown on a screen?

Yes. 'Open full screen' fills the display with large digits on your chosen background, which is designed for a projector, a lobby screen or a stream overlay. Press Escape to leave.