# How to add a countdown timer in OBS Studio Add a live countdown timer to OBS Studio with a browser source — no plugin required. Fit it into your scene and control it from another device while you stream. A countdown timer in OBS Studio keeps a stream on schedule and tells viewers what happens next: when the show starts, how long a segment runs, or how much time is left in a challenge. You do not need a plugin for this. OBS has a built-in Browser source that can display any web page, and a browser-based timer is just a web page. This guide uses MaestroTimer to create the timer. You add its viewer link to OBS once, then start, stop, and adjust the timer from any other device — the browser source in OBS updates live. ## Do you need a plugin to add a timer to OBS? No. OBS Studio ships with a Browser source, and that is all you need to show a countdown timer. A browser-based timer runs on a normal web page, so OBS can render it directly — there is nothing to install, and nothing to update when OBS updates. A plugin-free timer has a second advantage: the same timer page works in every tool that accepts a web page as input, and it can be opened on a phone or tablet at the same time. The timer is not locked inside OBS. ## Create the timer and copy the viewer link First create the timer you want to show. In MaestroTimer you create a room, add a timer to it, and copy the room's viewer link — the viewer is the clean output view meant for screens and overlays. The steps: 1. Open MaestroTimer and create a room. The room is the container your devices connect to. 2. Add a timer. Give it a name and a duration — the name can describe the segment, for example "Opening round". 3. Set a wrap-up threshold if you want the timer to change its appearance when time runs low. The color change is visible on stream without any extra work. 4. Open the room's viewer and copy its URL. Every view in MaestroTimer is a link, so this URL is all OBS needs. ## Add the timer to OBS as a browser source The timer goes into your scene as a Browser source pointed at the viewer URL. Once added, it behaves like any other source: you can move it, resize it, and show or hide it per scene. In OBS Studio: 1. Select the scene that should show the timer, or create a new one. 2. In the Sources panel, select "+" and choose "Browser". 3. Name the source, for example "Countdown timer", and confirm. 4. Paste the viewer URL into the URL field. 5. Set the width and height. 1200 × 400 suits a timer — a wide, short box rather than a full video frame — and the viewer adapts to the size you give it. 6. Confirm with "OK". The timer appears in your scene. 7. Drag the source to position it, and drag its corners to scale it. ## Fit the timer into your scene OBS gives you three tools to make a timer overlay sit cleanly on top of your content: cropping, blending, and filters. All three work on any browser source, so you do not depend on the timer itself for them. To crop away parts of the page you do not want, hold Alt (Option on macOS) and drag the edges of the source. This is the quickest way to show only the digits. To let the background disappear, try the blending mode first: right-click the source, choose "Blending Mode", then "Additive". Additive blending turns dark pixels transparent, so if the timer page shows light digits on a dark background, the digits stay and the background goes. If blending does not give a clean result for your setup, add a Color Key filter instead: right-click the source, open "Filters", add "Color Key", and set the key color to the background color of the timer page. Increase similarity gradually until the background is gone. ## Control the timer while you stream The timer in your OBS scene is a live view, not a recording — you control it from the controller view on any other device, and the overlay updates immediately. Keep the controller open on a phone or a second monitor and OBS never has to leave fullscreen. Start, pause, and adjust happen in the controller. When a wrap-up threshold is set, the on-stream timer changes its appearance on its own as time runs low, so you do not need to warn anyone manually. You can also send messages to the same viewer: a bold, colored, or flashing note appears alongside the timer in your scene. Use it for "Starting soon", "Last round", or any cue your viewers should see. Before you go live, open the room's live connections view. It lists every device currently attached to the room — when the OBS browser source is connected, it shows up there, and you know the overlay is receiving before the stream starts. ## Count up instead of down A stopwatch in OBS works the same way as a countdown: MaestroTimer timers can count up as well as down, and the same viewer link shows either. Counting up fits open-ended segments — a speedrun attempt, a recording session, or any challenge where elapsed time is the number that matters. Switch the timer to count-up mode when you create it. Everything else in this guide stays the same: the browser source, the scene setup, and the remote control all work identically. ## Start the countdown at a set time A "stream starts at" scene needs a timer that begins on its own, and a MaestroTimer timer can be scheduled to start at a set time of day. Put the viewer in your starting-soon scene, schedule the timer for your announced start time, and the countdown runs without you touching anything. For a show with several timed segments, link timers so each one starts automatically when the previous one ends. Your rundown then advances on its own while you stay focused on the stream. ## FAQ ### Do I need a plugin to show a countdown timer in OBS? No. OBS Studio includes a Browser source that displays any web page. Point it at a browser-based timer and the countdown appears in your scene — nothing to install. ### Does this work in Streamlabs Desktop too? Yes. Streamlabs Desktop also has a Browser source. Add it the same way: create the source, paste the timer's viewer URL, and set the size. ### How do I make the timer background transparent in OBS? Use OBS's own tools: set the source's blending mode to Additive so dark pixels disappear, or add a Color Key filter and key out the page's background color. Both work on any browser source. ### Does the timer stay in sync if the stream runs long? Yes. The timer runs in the room, not inside OBS. The browser source only displays it, and every connected view — OBS, a phone, a second screen — shows the same state. If the source reloads, it reconnects and shows the current time. **Put a live timer in your next stream** — MaestroTimer runs in the browser: create a room, add the viewer to OBS as a browser source, and control the countdown from any device. Wrap-up colors, stage messages, and a live connections view are built in. [Try MaestroTimer](https://maestrotimer.com)