# A countdown timer for webinars A starting-soon countdown that runs itself, segment timers for the session, and a synced clock for co-hosts — with nothing for attendees to install. Webinars have two timing problems. Before the session, early joiners stare at a static slide wondering if anything will happen. During it, presenters lose the clock and the Q&A eats the ending. A webinar countdown solves both: a visible timer to the start, then segment timing while you present. MaestroTimer covers both phases from one room, in the browser. Here is the setup for each. ## The starting-soon countdown The pre-webinar countdown should run itself — you are testing audio, not babysitting a clock. The steps: 1. Create a room and add a timer scheduled to start at your published time, with the duration of your waiting window. 2. Open the room's viewer link and share that window as your waiting screen — or add it as a browser source if you produce the webinar through streaming software. 3. Set a wrap-up threshold so the final minute reads differently — early joiners see the start approaching. 4. The countdown begins on schedule whether or not you are ready, which is exactly the pressure a start time should have. ## Timing the session itself Once live, the timer moves off the audience screen and onto yours. Keep the viewer open beside your presentation — second monitor, phone, or a browser window next to your notes — with one timer per segment: intro, content blocks, demo, Q&A. Linked timers advance the plan automatically, wrap-up thresholds warn you into each landing, and a co-host runs the controller from their own device — adding time when a section deserves it, trimming the Q&A when it does not. For panel-style webinars, count-up mode keeps discussion honest without a deadline on screen. ## When attendees should see the clock Some formats want the audience to see time: workshops with timed exercises, structured Q&A, anything with breaks. Drop the viewer link in the webinar chat and attendees open the live countdown in their own browsers — nothing installed, and it survives whatever the screen share does. The live connections view lists every attached device, so before the session you can confirm the waiting screen, your co-host, and your own second monitor are all receiving. ## FAQ ### How do I show a countdown before my webinar starts? Schedule a timer for your published start time and share the viewer as your waiting screen — it begins on its own, and the final-minute threshold signals the start is close. ### How do I keep a webinar on time while presenting? One timer per segment on a screen beside your notes, linked so they advance automatically. A co-host on the controller adjusts time without interrupting you. ### Can attendees see the timer during exercises or breaks? Yes — put the viewer link in the chat and each attendee watches the same live countdown in their browser. ### Does this work with Zoom, Teams, and webinar platforms? Yes. The timer is a web page: share it as a screen, add it as a browser source in your production software, or let attendees open the link directly. **Start your next webinar on the clock** — MaestroTimer runs in the browser: a scheduled starting-soon countdown, segment timers beside your notes, and a synced controller for your co-host. [Try MaestroTimer](https://maestrotimer.com)