Breathing settings
Set holds to 0 to skip them.
Breathing Timer (Guided Cycles)
Follow inhale, hold, exhale, and rest phases with calm timing, presets, sound cues, and fullscreen mode.
How it works
Breathing Timer is a guided phase timer. You set a pattern (inhale, optional hold, exhale, optional second hold) and the page walks you through it with a large phase countdown. It is built for the moment you do not want to do mental math or count rounds. You pick the timing once, press start, and the timer handles the pacing.
This page is not trying to teach breathing techniques. It is a clean tool for running timed cycles. If you want a simple session countdown with no phase prompts, use Meditation Timer or Silent Timer. If you want a general purpose countdown, use Countdown Timer or Online Timer.
- 1) Choose a preset or Custom. Holds set to 0 are skipped.
- 2) Set Cycles to 0 to keep going until you pause, or set a number to stop automatically.
- 3) Press Space or click Start to begin. Press Space again to pause/resume.
- 4) If you want phase prompts, turn Sound on (S).
- 5) For a clean display, press F for fullscreen. Press Esc to exit. In fullscreen, you can tap/click the timer to start or pause.
Presets set the inhale/hold/exhale timing for you. You can still adjust values after selecting a preset by choosing Custom.
Cycles controls how many full patterns run. A cycle is counted when the timer wraps back to Inhale. Set Cycles to 0 to run continuously.
Sound plays gentle cues when phases change so you can follow without watching the screen. If Sound is off, the timer stays silent.
- Box 4-4-4-4: one cycle is 16 seconds (4 inhale + 4 hold + 4 exhale + 4 hold). With Cycles = 0, it repeats until you pause.
- 4-7-8: one cycle is 19 seconds (4 inhale + 7 hold + 8 exhale). This preset is set to 4 cycles by default, so it runs for about 76 seconds plus the final phase transition.
- Calm 4-2-6: one cycle is 12 seconds (4 inhale + 2 hold + 6 exhale). It is continuous by default.
What you will see while the timer runs
The large label shows the current phase (Inhale, Hold, Exhale) and the big number shows seconds remaining in that phase. When the phase ends, the next phase starts immediately and the label updates. If your pattern skips holds (because a hold is set to 0), the timer simply rotates through the remaining phases.
If you pause, the timer freezes the remaining seconds for the current phase. When you resume, it continues from that exact point. If you reset, it returns to the ready state at the beginning of the inhale phase with cycle count reset.
Real scenarios (with concrete timings)
These scenarios match how people actually use a guided breathing timer: quick structure, minimal interaction, and clear endpoints when needed.
The fastest workflow is: pick a preset, set cycles (0 for continuous), press Space, and let the display guide you. Fullscreen is there for readability, especially if you are not sitting directly in front of the screen. In fullscreen you can tap/click the timer to start or pause, which is useful on mobile or when you do not want to aim at buttons.
Use Breathing Timer when you want guided inhale/hold/exhale phases. Use a simple session timer when you only need minutes. Use multiple timers when you want more than one pattern running at once.
Technical details (phase timing, sound cues, fullscreen)How timing is computed and what can affect it in browsers▼
Each phase sets a target end timestamp and computes remaining time as end - now. The UI updates with requestAnimationFrame so the display stays smooth.
The pattern always includes inhale and exhale. Holds are optional. Any hold set to 0 seconds is removed from the pattern, so the timer rotates only through phases that have time.
Sound cues use the Web Audio API to play short tones at phase changes. Some browsers require a user gesture (click/tap/keypress) before audio can play. If Sound is off, cues are not played.
Fullscreen uses the browser Fullscreen API on the timer card. Controls are placed in top and bottom bars, and you can exit with Esc or the Exit button.
Browsers may throttle animations and timers in background tabs or low-power states. When you return, the timer typically catches up to the correct phase remaining time, but on-screen updates can look less smooth while throttled.
Health and timing limits
This is a general timing and pacing tool. It is not medical advice, diagnosis, treatment, or emergency guidance. Users who feel unwell should stop and seek appropriate help.
Browser scheduling, background throttling, audio settings, and device performance can affect the timing or sound of phase changes.
Maintained by Suhas Sunder. See how iLoveTimers is made.
Last reviewed .
Keyboard shortcuts
Click the timer once, then use the keyboard to control the break countdown. Shortcuts won’t trigger when your cursor is inside an input.
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
| Space | Start / pause |
| R | Reset to selected minutes |
| F | Toggle fullscreen |
| S | Toggle sound |
| L | Toggle loop |
| Esc | Exit fullscreen |
Common scenarios
Use this page for guided inhale/hold/exhale cycles with a big phase countdown. Pick a preset or set your own timing, press Space to start/pause, and use fullscreen when you want a clean, distraction-free display. Turn on sound cues if you prefer to follow by ear.