How to use a Pomodoro timer on Mac

The method in one paragraph

Francesco Cirillo created the Pomodoro Technique in the 1980s. You pick one task, work on it for 25 minutes without switching, take a short break, and repeat. The timer does most of the work: it turns “work on this” into a block with an end. On a Mac you need two things for it, something that counts down and something that keeps notifications away.

Use the Clock app as a Pomodoro timer

1. Open the Clock app and click Timers at the top of the window, or choose View›, then Timers.
2. Set 25 minutes. Give the timer a name, such as Focus, and choose the sound it plays at the end.
3. Click Start. Click Pause to stop it for a moment and Resume to carry on.
4. When it ends, a notification appears. Click Options on it and choose Repeat to run it again, or Stop.

For the breaks, add a second timer: click the Add button in the top-right corner of the Timers window, choose Presets and click a length such as 5 minutes, or choose Custom Timer. Timers you’ve used recently are listed at the bottom of the window, so the next round is one click. You can also ask Siri something like “Set a focus timer for 25 minutes.”

A Clock timer keeps going when you switch apps or your Mac sleeps. What it doesn’t do is stay in view: the countdown is in the Clock window, so once that’s behind your work you only find out when the notification arrives. If you want it in view, the last two sections cover how.

Silence notifications with a Focus

A timer keeps you on one task; a Focus keeps everything else from interrupting it.

1. Click Control Center in the menu bar, then click anywhere in the Focus section.
2. Click Do Not Disturb or another Focus to turn it on, then choose a duration, such as For 1 hour.
3. Click the Focus again to turn it off when you stop for a break.

To let a few people or apps through, set up a Focus of your own in System Settings›, then Focus: click Add Focus, choose Work or Custom, then pick the Allowed People and Allowed Apps. Under Set a Schedule it can turn on at set times, at a place, or when you open a particular app.

Dedicated Pomodoro apps

If you want work and break rounds counted for you, a dedicated app does it. Two on the App Store, as described on their listings in October 2026:

• Be Focused splits work into intervals separated by short breaks, with lengths you set for work, short and long breaks, and controls in the menu bar. Free, with Pro from $2.99 a month or $39.99 once. Needs macOS 12 or later.
• Flow runs work intervals and breaks, keeps statistics, and includes app and website blocking. Free, with Pro from $2.99 a month or $39.99 lifetime. Needs macOS 15 or later, and also runs on iPhone and iPad.

Both are free to try, so it’s easy to see which rhythm suits you. For more ways to put tools on your desktop, see our roundup of widget apps for Mac.

A focus timer on the desktop, with MacScapes

MacScapes has a Focus Timer widget that sits on the desktop in the colors of your live wallpaper: a ring that empties as the session runs, the time left, and, at medium size, the time it ends. You start and pause it from the MacScapes menu bar, so it’s there whenever you glance past your windows, without another window to manage.

1. In MacScapes, open Vibes, Control-click the vibe you work in and choose Edit….
2. Under Widgets, click Add Widget…, choose Focus Timer, and pick 25, 50 or 90 minutes.
3. Click Arrange on Desktop… to place it, then Save.
4. Click the MacScapes icon in the menu bar and press the play button in the Focus controls to start the session.

When the session ends, the widget shows Done and your Mac plays the Glass sound. A running session survives quitting and reopening the app. To be clear about what it isn’t: it times focus sessions only, so it doesn’t count breaks or rounds, and it doesn’t turn on a macOS Focus. Pair it with Do Not Disturb if you want both.

The Focus Timer is part of MacScapes Pro. A Note widget beside it can hold the one task you’re working on, and our guide to customizing Mac widgets covers how to style them. All fourteen widgets are on the desktop widgets page.