Stopwatch with Lap Timer
FreeOnline stopwatch with lap and split recording. Track multiple intervals simultaneously. Keyboard shortcuts, copy and export. Free, no app.
What's next
Settings guide
Recording strategies for common use cases:
Running / cycling training: Press Lap at each mile or kilometer marker. The lap column shows your pace per segment; splits show cumulative time. After the session, copy the table to analyze pacing consistency.
Process analysis / time studies: Press Lap at each step in a workflow. The lap column shows time per step; use this to identify bottlenecks in a process.
Multiple participants (relay timing): Record each handoff with a lap press. Each lap represents one participant's leg.
Exam / test practice: Start at the beginning of each practice test section. Press Lap at the end of each question to track per-question time. Reset between test runs.
Export: After recording laps, select the table and copy (Ctrl/Cmd + C) to paste into Excel, Google Sheets, or a text editor. Tab-separated values paste cleanly into spreadsheets.
Format comparison
vs a basic stopwatch: A basic stopwatch only shows total elapsed time. A lap timer records each interval separately, enabling analysis of pacing, consistency, or per-step durations. For any activity with meaningful internal structure (running, process analysis, multi-step testing), a lap timer is strictly more informative.
vs a dedicated sports watch: Dedicated GPS sports watches (Garmin, Polar, COROS) provide lap recording alongside pace, heart rate, distance, and GPS tracking. For athletic performance analysis, those devices are the right tool. A browser lap timer is appropriate when you need interval recording without additional sensors, or in settings where a sports watch is impractical (office environments, lab settings, classroom timing).
How it works
Start the timer
Press Start or hit Space. The main clock begins counting.
Press Lap at each interval
Press L or the Lap button at each interval boundary. The lap table records the split time, lap time, and lap number without stopping the clock.
Stop and copy results
Press Stop when finished. Select the lap table and copy to export to a spreadsheet or document.
About this format
A lap timer is a stopwatch that records interval times without stopping — you press Lap to mark a split, the clock keeps running, and the interval time for each segment is recorded separately. This is what coaches use to record running splits, what analysts use to time sequential process steps, and what testers use to record test case durations.
The distinction between a lap and a split is worth understanding. A split is the cumulative time from start to a specific lap press. A lap is the interval from the previous lap press to the current one. Both are recorded for every lap. In a 4-lap run where you press at 1:00, 2:15, 3:20, and 4:30, the splits are those exact times, while the laps are 1:00, 1:15, 1:05, and 1:10 — the time for each individual segment.
Lap data is recorded in a table as each lap is pressed. You can review, copy, and export all laps when finished. Keyboard shortcuts (Space to start/stop, L for lap, R to reset) let you operate the timer without shifting your gaze from the activity you are timing.
The stopwatch runs accurately in the background — start it, switch tabs to your work, and the time continues. When you return, the elapsed time is exactly correct.