Pomodoro timer questions, answered

Go PomoTimer is a free online Pomodoro timer for desktop and mobile browsers. It splits your work into focused sessions with short breaks, so you stay on task and finish more.

Beyond the timer, you get a task list, study rooms to focus with friends on one shared timer, built-in lo-fi music, a full-screen focus mode and your daily and weekly progress. All of this works without an account. A free account adds statistics, streaks, sync across devices and the global leaderboard.

No. Most of Go PomoTimer works without one. A free account unlocks a few extras.

• •No account needed: the timer and custom lengths, tasks (saved in this browser), lo-fi music, focus mode, themes, study rooms, today's and this week's focus time, your focus card, and viewing the leaderboard.
• •Free account needed: your rank on the leaderboard, the statistics dashboard and PDF report, day streaks, syncing tasks and history across devices, and writing a review.

• •Press Start for a 25-minute focus session. If you like, tap a task first so the session counts toward it.
• •When the session ends, a chime plays and your break starts: Short (5 minutes) by default.
• •The classic method takes a longer 15-minute break after every four sessions. To do that, pick Long before your fourth break.
• •With auto-loop on, focus and break follow each other automatically for up to 20 rounds, so you never have to press Start again.
• •Keyboard shortcuts: Space starts or pauses, R resets, S skips, F opens full screen, 1, 2 and 3 switch modes, M mutes and N adds a task. Press ? to see them all.

Why it works: a short, fixed slot makes a big task feel manageable, and regular breaks keep your attention fresh for the next round.

There is no catch. Every feature, including the free account, costs nothing and there are no ads. Go PomoTimer is a small independent project, and server costs are covered by people who choose to buy us a coffee.

Most Pomodoro timers only count down. Go PomoTimer is a complete, free focus space in your browser:

• •Study rooms with friends: create a room, share the link or code, and everyone focuses on the same live timer. Friends join without an account.
• •Lo-fi music: relaxed beats built into the timer, with a volume control. No extra tab or app needed.
• •Full-screen focus mode: one click hides everything except the timer and your tasks.
• •Tasks with Pomodoro estimates: set how many sessions a task should take, pick it as your focus, and every finished session counts toward it.
• •Progress you can see: today's focus time and a 7-day chart sit right on the timer.
• •Global leaderboard and streaks (free account): every focus session counts toward your rank.
• •Notion widget: put the timer inside any Notion page with one link. No account needed.
• •Shareable focus card: after a session, share an image of your focus time on Instagram, X or TikTok.
• •4 themes and custom intervals: change the look, set your own focus and break lengths, and let auto-loop run up to 20 rounds.

Yes. Go PomoTimer can be added to your home screen or desktop and then opens in its own window, like an app. There is nothing to download from an app store.

• •iPhone and iPad: open the site in Safari, tap the Share button, then Add to Home Screen.
• •Android: open the site in Chrome, tap the menu (three dots), then Add to Home screen or Install app.
• •Computer: in Chrome or Edge, click the install icon at the right end of the address bar.

The installed app still needs an internet connection.

The Pomodoro Technique is a time-management method created by Francesco Cirillo in the late 1980s. You work in focused intervals, usually 25 minutes, separated by short breaks. Each interval is called a "pomodoro", Italian for tomato, after the tomato-shaped kitchen timer Cirillo used as a student.

There is no fixed number, but most people land between 6 and 12 pomodoros a day, which is about 2.5 to 5 hours of real focus. That is more than it sounds: deep, uninterrupted work is tiring, and few people manage more than 4 to 5 hours of it.

• •Students: 4 to 8 pomodoros for a normal study day, more before exams.
• •Deep work: 8 to 12, grouped in sets of four with a long break between sets.
• •Getting started: aim for 3 or 4 and build up. Your focus time for today and this week shows under your task list.

Many students like it. Short timed blocks make it easier to start revising, and the breaks give you a moment to take in what you read. A popular pairing is active recall: study for one pomodoro, then use the break to test yourself on what you just covered.

Yes, anyone can use it, and some people with ADHD like working this way; others find it doesn't suit them. If you want to try it and 25 minutes feels too long, start with 10 or 15 minutes of focus. We are not doctors: this is a productivity method, not a treatment, so please talk to a doctor about ADHD itself. See our practical tips for using a Pomodoro timer with ADHD.

Yes. Click the settings icon on the timer and set your own focus, short break and long break lengths, anywhere from 1 to 300 minutes. Popular choices:

• •25 / 5: the classic rhythm, good for most work.
• •50 / 10: deep work with fewer interruptions.
• •15 / 3: a gentle start when you are struggling to begin.
• •90 / 20: one long deep-work block, close to a natural attention cycle.

See how to use a 50/10 timer.

Use the break to rest your mind, not to start something new. Good short-break ideas:

• •Stand up, stretch or walk around the room.
• •Drink some water or refill your coffee.
• •Look at something far away to rest your eyes.
• •Take a few slow breaths, or simply sit and do nothing.

Try to avoid social media, email and news. They pull your attention into something else, and the next session is harder to start. Long breaks are a good time for a proper walk or a snack.

In the original method, a pomodoro cannot be split: if you stop to deal with something else, it does not count, and you start a fresh one afterwards. In practice, it depends on the interruption:

• •A thought or small to-do pops up: write it in your task list and carry on. You can deal with it in the break.
• •Someone needs you: if it can wait, tell them you will get back to them in a few minutes, then do so after the session.
• •It cannot wait: press Space to pause, or R to reset and start a fresh session when you are back.

They suit different situations, and you can mix them.

• •Pomodoro (25 / 5): best when a task is hard to start or your focus drifts. The short slot lowers the barrier.
• •52 / 17: 52 minutes of work and a 17-minute break, a rhythm made popular by a 2014 study of office workers by the time-tracking company DeskTime. It suits longer, steady work once you are already in the flow.
• •Time blocking: reserving fixed slots in your calendar for one kind of work. It plans when you work, while a Pomodoro timer helps you focus during that time.

A common combination: block two hours in your calendar and fill them with pomodoros. To try 52/17, set the focus length to 52 minutes and the break to 17 in the timer settings.

Yes. A study room is a free virtual co-working space where everyone follows the same Pomodoro timer in real time. It works well for study groups, remote teams and accountability partners.

• •Click Study room at the top of the page, name your room and share the invite link or the room code.
• •Friends open the link (or type the code), enter a name and join. No account or download needed.
• •Everyone sees the same focus and break countdown, and anyone can start, pause or skip.
• •You can see who is in the room and which task each person is working on.
• •The room's timer runs on our server, so it stays correct even if you lock your phone or lose your connection for a moment.
• •A room closes by itself after 2 hours with nobody in it. Next time, just create a new one.

More in our guide to study rooms.

Yes. Go PomoTimer has a free Notion widget, so the timer sits right inside your study planner or work dashboard.

• •Open the Notion widget page, pick one of the four themes and copy the link.
• •In your Notion page, type /embed, paste the link and click Embed link.
• •Drag the corner to resize it. The timer switches between a full, compact and slim layout to fit.
• •No account is needed, and the widget cannot read your Notion notes, tasks or workspace.

Click the headphones icon on the timer and switch on Lo-fi beats. A slider sets the volume, and Go PomoTimer remembers it for next time. The music is made right in your browser, so there are no ads, no account and no other tab to open. More about the lo-fi timer.

Focus mode fills the screen with just the timer and your tasks, so nothing else competes for your attention. Click the full-screen button next to Start or press F to open it, and press Esc or the same button to leave.

Yes. The countdown is based on the real clock, so it keeps exact time while you work in another tab or app. When the session ends, a chime plays, so you can keep Go PomoTimer open in a background tab.

On phones, the browser pauses web pages while the screen is locked. The time stays correct, and the timer catches up as soon as you unlock, but the chime cannot play while the screen is off. To hear it, keep the screen on or leave the tab open on a computer.

You can use Go PomoTimer without an account. Here is what we keep:

• •Browser storage to remember your settings, theme and tasks.
• •Analytics: Google Analytics sets cookies only if you click Accept all; Vercel Analytics uses no cookies.
• •If you create an account: your email address, your tasks and your focus sessions, so they sync and count on the leaderboard. We also send a short weekly summary email, which you can turn off any time.

To delete your data, email us at support@gopomotimer.io. Details are in our privacy policy.

A chime plays at the end of every session. If you don't hear it, check these:

• •The speaker icon on the timer: if it is crossed out, the sound is off. Click it or press M to turn it back on.
• •Your device volume and silent mode.
• •Whether the browser tab is muted (right-click the tab to check).
• •On phones, the chime cannot play while the screen is locked. Keep the screen on, or use a computer.

Email us at support@gopomotimer.io. For a bug, tell us your device and browser and what you were doing when it happened.