Updated
What TimerBox does
TimerBox is a free countdown timer for OBS and any browser source. Set the timer on this page, copy one URL, and paste it into OBS. No account, no watermark, no plugin.
The timer can fill a scene or sit over live video, with messages, sound, transparent backgrounds, and 10 free themes.
How do I add the timer to OBS?
- Set the time, message, and theme in the builder above.
- Select the OBS source size that fits your scene.
- Click Copy OBS Source URL.
- In OBS, open your scene. Under Sources, click + and choose Browser.
- Paste the URL. Enter the Width and Height shown below the copy button.
The URL holds the timer settings, but it can't change the Width and Height fields in OBS. Enter both values by hand.
Blank source, or no idea whether OBS is drawing the page at all? Load the browser source test in the same source. It reports the OBS version, the size, the graphics card, the frame rate, and transparency on the page itself.
Not on OBS? The same URL works as a Link source in TikTok LIVE Studio. The LIVE Studio setup shows the menu path and the portrait size.
Which OBS checkboxes should I use?
Shutdown source when not visible stops the browser source while its scene is hidden, which saves computer power. It also reloads the timer every time the scene comes back.
Refresh browser when scene becomes active reloads the timer when the scene appears, and with Shutdown on that reload happens anyway. A plain duration timer starts again after any reload. Turn on Resume after reload in the builder if you want the same run to continue.
Should I use a duration or a clock time?
Use Countdown for a set length, such as a five-minute break. Use To a clock time when the stream must begin at a set time, such as 8:00 PM.
A clock-time timer checks the current time after a reload. A duration timer starts from its full length unless Resume is on. Turn on Overtime to count up after zero.
How do I make a Starting Soon or BRB timer?
Open the Timer tab and choose a quick setup card. Starting Soon, BRB, Break, and Ending each set a useful message and timer length. You can change every value afterward.
Keep the message short. A few words stay clear at small stream sizes. Use a separate OBS browser source for each scene if the scenes need different timers.
For a study-with-me stream, two scenes and two timers make a focus and break loop. The Pomodoro setup for OBS walks through it.
How do start and resume work?
Immediately on load starts a new timer when the page opens. When you go live in OBS waits for OBS to report that the stream is live. Outside OBS, it starts when the page opens.
Resume after reload keeps the end time on the same device. A restored run picks up straight away, without waiting for a new start event.
The Advanced start choice starts once per page load, the first time the timer appears in an OBS scene. Later scene changes don't start it again unless OBS reloads the page. OBS does that when Shutdown source when not visible or Refresh browser when scene becomes active is on.
How do I make the background transparent?
A new setup starts clear. The checkerboard in the preview means the background is clear, and in OBS the timer sits over the source below it. For a solid background, open the Theme tab and turn off Transparent background.
Use a solid background when the timer fills the whole scene. Use a clear background when it shares the scene with video, a game, or a camera.
Which theme should I choose?
Classic gives you plain digits, a bar, or a ring. The other themes use motion and shape to show the timer state. Each one supports a clear overlay and a full background.
Test the theme at the size you'll use in OBS. If a visual theme can't start, TimerBox shows a plain digit timer instead. See every live design on the themes page. Some themes are paid. Previewing them is free, and pricing lists what each one costs.
Does the sound play on the stream?
Yes. Sound from an OBS browser source can go into the OBS audio mix. Choose a sound under Sound at zero, or choose None for a quiet finish. Check your OBS mixer before you go live.
What is free?
The builder, the timer features, and all 10 free themes cost nothing, with no watermark or TimerBox badge. You don't need an account. Paid themes are marked in the picker. Previewing them is free, and you need a key only to copy their OBS URL. See pricing.
Where are the advanced settings?
The embed URL reference lists every setting and accepted value. Most people don't need it. The builder writes the URL for you.