Alarm Clock

What the alarm clock does

This is a simple alarm you set right in the browser. You pick a time, optionally add a short message, and when that time comes around the page plays a sound and shows your message. It is the everyday "remind me at this time" tool, the kind you reach for when you do not want to dig your phone out or set up anything more involved.

How to use it

1. Time. The clock time you want the alarm to go off.
2. Message. Optional. A short note, up to 50 characters, that shows when it rings.

Press Set to arm it, and the scheduled alarm appears below. Press Stop to silence the sound once it goes off.

How it works

When you set it, the tool works out how long it is from right now until the time you chose, then waits that long before sounding. If the time you pick has already passed today, it assumes you mean tomorrow and sets the alarm for the next day at that time. So setting a 7:00 alarm at 9 in the evening will ring at 7 the following morning, not instantly. While it waits, it shows you the armed alarm so you can see it is set.

The one thing to remember: keep the tab open

Here is the honest catch, and it is worth knowing before you rely on it. Because the alarm runs inside this web page, the page has to stay open for it to ring. If you close the tab, or close the browser, the alarm goes with it and will not sound. So leave the tab open in the background, and bear in mind that if your computer goes to sleep the alarm may not fire on time either. For a reminder while you are working at the same machine it is perfect. For something you absolutely cannot miss while away from the screen, a phone alarm is the safer bet.

The message field

The optional message is a small thing that makes the alarm more useful. Instead of just a sound, you get a reminder of why you set it. "Stand up and stretch," "call the dentist back," "take the bread out," "leave for the meeting." When several hours have passed you do not always remember what a bare alarm was for, so the note does the remembering for you.

Where it comes in handy

Anything tied to a specific time while you are at your computer. A nudge to leave for an appointment, a reminder partway through a long task, the end of a short nap, or a prompt to check on something cooking. It shines when you are already working in the browser and just need a gentle alert at a set time without switching apps.

Questions people ask

Will the alarm still ring if I close the tab?

No. It runs in the page, so the tab needs to stay open. Closing the tab or the browser cancels the alarm.

What if the time I set has already passed today?

It assumes you mean the next day and sets the alarm for that time tomorrow, rather than going off straight away.

Can I add a note to the alarm?

Yes. The optional message field, up to 50 characters, shows your note when the alarm rings, so you remember what it was for.

How do I stop the sound?

Press the Stop button, which silences the alarm sound once it has gone off.