A countdown timer for PowerPoint — no add-in required
A floating, always-on-top timer that overlays your slides during a live presentation. Works with PowerPoint and Keynote, on Mac and Windows — nothing to install into the deck itself.
Why this isn't a PowerPoint plugin
Most "PowerPoint timer" tools are add-ins installed directly into PowerPoint — which means they only run on Windows, since PowerPoint on macOS doesn't expose the APIs an add-in needs to draw a timer inside a slide. KUMA Timer takes a different approach: instead of living inside PowerPoint, its Presenter View is a separate floating window that stays on top of whatever is full-screen — PowerPoint, Keynote, Google Slides, a PDF deck. Nothing to install into your presentation, and it works the same way on Mac and Windows.
How it works
- Always-on-top overlay. The floating window stays visible over PowerPoint or Keynote even in full-screen slideshow mode.
- Doesn't steal keyboard focus. Your presentation clicker keeps advancing slides normally while the timer runs.
- Optional transparent background. Show just the digits and controls, with the slide underneath visible through the rest of the window.
- Drag to move, drag the edge to resize — font size scales automatically to fill the window.
- Hover reveals controls — Start/Stop, Pause, −1m, +1m — without leaving your slides.
Setting it up
- Open KUMA Timer and set your duration
- Go to Settings → Display → Enable Presenter View Mode — the floating window appears
- Position and resize it (e.g. a corner of your laptop screen)
- Start your PowerPoint or Keynote slideshow as normal
- Press Start on the floating window, or trigger it remotely via OSC or Bitfocus Companion
- The countdown stays visible throughout — your clicker keeps working
On the first launch on macOS, you'll see a one-time permission prompt to let KUMA Timer briefly bring your presentation back into focus after you click a Presenter View button — full details in the documentation.
Running a full live show rather than a single presentation — multiple segments, a crew watching a confidence monitor, show-control integration? See the stage timer software feature overview.
Timing a whole conference day rather than your own talk? See KUMA Timer as an event timer.
Adding a timer in PowerPoint without an add-in
PowerPoint has no built-in timer, so the usual workarounds live inside the slide itself:
- Animation countdown — a bar or a set of numbers with timed exit animations (Wipe or Disappear) set to start automatically. Countdown timer templates for PowerPoint are slides with these animations already built.
- Countdown video — insert a countdown video on the slide and set it to play automatically.
Both work for a short quiz round — a 20-second answer or a 10-minute exercise — but they belong to that one slide: move to the next slide and the timer is gone, and changing the duration means editing the animation or finding another video. Longer countdowns get fiddly quickly.
If the time has to keep running while you move through your slides, use an overlay instead. Presenter View in KUMA Timer floats on top of the whole slideshow without being inserted into the deck, so nothing in the file changes (Full). For a quiz or classroom countdown on its own screen, the free browser timer and ready-made pages like the 1 minute timer or 10 minute timer need no setup at all.
FAQ
Is there a PowerPoint timer plugin for Mac?
Not as a true PowerPoint add-in — PowerPoint on macOS doesn't expose the APIs a plugin would need. KUMA Timer's Presenter View sidesteps that entirely: it's a separate floating countdown window that stays always-on-top of PowerPoint or Keynote in full-screen, without being installed into the slide deck. It works identically on Mac and Windows.
How do I show a countdown timer on my PowerPoint slides?
Open KUMA Timer, set your duration, and enable Presenter View Mode in Settings → Display. A small floating window appears that stays on top of PowerPoint even in full-screen slideshow mode. Start your slideshow as normal — the countdown stays visible and your presentation clicker keeps working, since the overlay never steals keyboard focus.
Does the timer work with Keynote and Google Slides too?
Yes. Because Presenter View is a separate floating window rather than an add-in built into one specific app, it overlays any full-screen presentation — PowerPoint, Keynote, Google Slides in a browser, or a PDF deck.
How do I add a timer in PowerPoint without an add-in?
Use an animation countdown (a bar or numbers with timed Wipe or Disappear exit animations), a ready-made countdown template, or a countdown video set to play automatically. These run only on the slide they are on. For a timer that stays visible across the whole slideshow without inserting anything into the deck, KUMA Timer’s Presenter View floats on top of PowerPoint (Full licence).
How do I add a timer to a PowerPoint quiz?
For a short answer round, put an animation countdown or a countdown video on the question slide and set it to start automatically. If you want one timer for the whole quiz, or want to restart it quickly between questions, run the free KUMA browser timer on a second screen, or use Presenter View to float it over the slideshow (Full).
Presenting on a livestream instead? See how to add an OBS countdown timer to your scenes.