How to create a Countdown Timer in PowerPoint across Multiple Slides using VBA Macros - Tutorial

[@PPTVBA]

Download file and code: pptvba.com/countdown/ 2:12 - Schematics of the code 5:23 - Notification when the powerpoint countdown is over 7:25 - Countdown in minutes instead of seconds 8:20 - Customizing format of powerpoint countdown timer (hh:mm:ss to only ss) 8:49 - COUNTDOWN TIMER ACROSS MULTIPLE SLIDES IN POWERPOINT 10:07 - Changing countdown time limit via a shape placed outside the slide (no need to edit codes)

[@masiyan8457]

Thanks a lot. Such a Great tutorials. Even i am a beginner i can understand what r ur videos about. In Indonesian i called "Mantap!"

[@aleksandraklimczak-salaga8245]

@Bhavesh Shaha i set time for 180 min and it shows countdown from 13 minutes. WHY??? Please help!

[@PPTVBA]

@@aleksandraklimczak-salaga8245 can you share your code? I've explained the code more in-depth in pptvba.com/countdown/

[@vudao58]

@@PPTVBA I got the same problem. I put 15 mins and it always starts counting down from 13 minutes. Sub countdown() Dim time As Date time = Now() Dim count As Integer count = 15 time = DateAdd("n", count, time) Do Until time < Now() DoEvents For i = 1 To 16 ActivePresentation.Slides(i).Shapes("countdown").TextFrame.TextRange = Format((time - Now()), "mm:ss") Next i If time < Now() Then For i = 1 To 16 ActivePresentation.Slides(1).Shapes("countdown").TextFrame.TextRange = "Time up!" Next i ActivePresentation.SlideShowWindow.View.GotoSlide (17) End If Loop End Sub

[@PPTVBA]

@Vu Dau, you need to set the format as "nn:ss" and not "mm:ss", minutes in VBA is represented by *n* and not *m*. I have provided more details in my blog post too!

[@Danieluchis]

Thank you! To display countdown in minutes:seconds instead of mm:ss i used nn:ss. Using mm:ss would output 12:00 instead of 10:00 i'm newbie so didn't understand why, hope this helps others and thanks for the code! you are really good explaining, straight to the point

[@mathematicsexaminations1005]

Thanks Bhavesh. This is how instructional videos should be made. Fast and highly informative. Those without VBA knowledge may struggle, but you helped them with all of the bits to get things going. Well designed and presented. Highly recommended.

[@PPTVBA]

Thank you so much for your kind words! I'm glad that the presentation of this tutorial was appreciated.

[@williamdouglas1912]

I disagree - it is far too fast!

[@TheIndianRedWolf]

In the code when I change the format to "mm:ss", it always shows the minutes as 12 (my seconds are set to 900). Is there a way to fox this?

[@kgbadariprasad1]

Awesome tutorial. I extended the final macro using another variable slidesCount = ActivePresentation.Slides.Count and removed the manual limit of 5 slides. Replaced all 5s with the variable slidesCount and it works with any number of slides.

[@PPTVBA]

Yep! I had given the option to set the slide number manually as not all want the timer to be present in all the slides 😅. Thank you for sharing the .Count syntax!

[@FutureCommentary1]

Thank you. This is EXACTLY what I needed. The add-ins are not nearly as flexible.

[@ianlyngklip3997]

This was a really excellent explanation of the design, as well as the coding. Also, greatly appreciated that accelerated walk through, this would be difficult to get through at actual speed.

[@PPTVBA]

Thank you so much for your kind words! Glad that I was able to help you out!

[@mathwitharslan2942]

You published 7 hours ago and youtube recommend for me.. thx a lot. It is excellent

[@PPTVBA]

Thank you very much! That's great to hear!!

[@larisadudnik6243]

Thank you Bhavesh !! This is absolutely amazing solution that would never come to my mind. Thank you for sharing all this knowledge in a such simple manner! 👏🏻

[@PPTVBA]

Glad it helped Larisa! Thank you!

[@SuppaWuman]

Hi, I am trying to create this timer on an existing PowerPoint. I'm not sure if that is causing the issue with the code, but I can not get it to work. Can you help?

[@PPTVBA]

Hello! The most common error would be that the slide number is not properly changed in the codes or that the shape name is mispelt. You can send me the files over to my email and I can check it out for you too! Thanks.

[@SuppaWuman]

@@PPTVBA Thank you so much for your quick response! I'll send it over.

[@khaledserwy8533]

@@PPTVBAkindly send your email address please

[@arturogzz88]

Thank you so much! This was very useful! Kudos for your awesome and simple way of explaining this!

[@lumiglou]

Hello! It is possible to do 2 countdown in de same slide and work whit bottons separated? 2 bottons (Start/Pause; Reset), the same botton do start and pause?

[@chaymangga9898]

Thank you for this tutorial. I have been using some of your VBA macros in my game presentations. Hope you can make more presentations of game shows.

[@vfresh4112]

Okay....okay... I see what you did here. You played with my confidence level on this video. I literally just finished the Jeopardy video and as I've commented on that video, I am obviously an "undiscovered genius" 🤓coder, a.k.a Watch & Learn from your KZbin DIY, Game Designer...OBVIOUSLY! 🤥😜 Yet, this one made me pause early-into the video because you started it with a new PP. Spoiler Alert: I cheated, and took the non-thinking route and just started a new PP with you. No need to worry, I assured myself that everyone else that did NOT do the Jeopardy game like I did would probably have to pause and play, but not I. I probably would only have to rewind and play! Finally a little more ways into the video it clicked and I can now say my game has a timer on each question. Next up: Figure out how to show answer after time-up. Then figure out how to put a double Jeopardy in each category. So, in conclusion, this video is also amazing, which proves conclusively... You are a genius furthering other's learning development

[@PPTVBA]

Your comment and your energy is the best! Thank you so goddamn much!

[@danwoodvine5900]

Hello, do you know how to add sounds or music to these clocks please?

[@mathewstw8661]

What is the Now() equvalent vba code for displaying a GMT/UTC Timer

[@lulusrah]

Very clear and most importantly, it works! Excellent!

[@kevinolap]

You looks very kind, thank you.

[@tanushree4980]

Thanks man it help me to create my project .

[@PPTVBA]

You are most welcome!

[@nanceeverdeen8075]

Thank you sir! I have a question: is it possible to let the clock start counting down immediately without clicking?

[@proximakirby3088]

Hello bhavesh, while i modified your code for countup for it to play across all slides, when i tested it, it said “Loop without do”. How do i fix it?

[@khannhh]

Hi, i have question. When time up, how to play sound?

[@ABSBOnline]

In our Bengali term, it is just অসাধারণ! (excellent! excellent! excellent!).

[@PPTVBA]

Thank you very much for watching! I appreciate the constant support! You can use this feature to have a time limit in the fill in the blanks module too!

[@arethavpi1219]

Thank you for this

[@shervonking4093]

This helped me tremendously! Thank you so much!

[@EmericaTheTour]

Thank you very much, it helped me a lot!

[@tolentinorandysantocildes1812]

Hi! How to code two timers in one slide that will automatically start the second timer once the first one ends. Thank You!

[@PichulRixth]

Thank you for the tutorial. Is it possible to create a timer for a looping slideshow?

[@glenlovitos8278]

Hi! Thanks so much for this. Although I have the same problem with @Inta B. I'm trying to make separate timers for multiple slides all with 100 seconds/1:40 minutes each. Would like to know how I'll go about this. Thanks so much!

[@PPTVBA]

You'll need to have separate codes for all the slides. Slide 1 would have a different code than slide 2. We would not be utilising the *for i* loop in this case. Just Slides(1) for slide 1. Then make another sub-routine and have Slides(2). So, duplicate the code as many times you'd need, don't use for i loop, and play the respective macro on click on the corresponding shape. I hope this was understandable. If not, I can assist you further in emails. Thanks!

[@glenlovitos8278]

@@PPTVBA Thanks! I actually made the new codes and slides already, just had a problem with the loop. Instead of loop what should I add to the code? I’m not familiar with coding, apologies for asking too many questions. 😅

[@PPTVBA]

@@glenlovitos8278 Not an issue at all! You needn't have any loop at all. Your code would look like the first block of code in this webpage: pptvba.com/countdown/

[@intab5384]

Great tutorial, thank you. How do I adjust the code to have one countdown/timer for slides 1-5 (10 seconds), then a second countdown/timer for slides 7-11 (20 seconds), and so on. I have one large deck and multiple sections, each section needs to start a new countdown with different timelimits. I tried creating a countdown2/timelimit2 and adjust the Do Events, and renaming the layers accordingly, but the second timer doesn't start.

[@PPTVBA]

Can you send the file over to me via email? Timelimit1 will have the For Loop containing Slide 1 to 5. Timelimit2's for loop would be from 7 to 11. I'm assuming that the timer should be connected with all the slides within the section? As in I can go from slide 1 to 2 to 3... And the timer doesn't reset. Please send me your file to my email and I can have a look at it.

[@joycetay5494]

I tried this and it's really helpful! Can I know how to continue to countdown to negative? Meaning if I set 15s, once reach zero, but it will still continues to count negatively.

[@consuelodi2617]

This is a great tutorial. But, somehow it did not work for me. I have a MacBook and am wondering what I must be missing (spent a while finding the Macros...), I doubled checked I had the code correct and tried working it out several times. Any advise is appreciated. Thank you.

[@PPTVBA]

Hello, the countdown should generally work on MacOS. I had tested it out in version 16 of Microsoft Office. However, in the past few months, I've received complaints of the timer not working in MacOS. The culprit could be the Timer() / Now() function that we are utilising. It takes the system time into consideration. The schematics for the system-time is probably different in MacOS, contrasting Windows. Meanwhile, you can also download a countdown timer video from KZbin (search for say 1 minute countdown timer) and embed the video in your slide too.

[@consuelodi2617]

@@PPTVBA Thank you for your reply Bhavesh!! I will keep your advise in mind 😌

[@venkideshshenai7724]

Hai great video I'm a Reasoning teacher for competitive exams Recently stared online class using PPT. I need different time for each of questions. For example form slide 1 to 7 (each need 45s) For next 10 slides (each question takes 2m) Is it possible to code two set times

[@PPTVBA]

Yep, you can just duplicate the codes and two sub-routines. The first sub-routine can have for i = 1 to 7; the second sub-routine can have for i = 8 to 17. Adjust the timings in each accordingly.

[@venkideshshenai7724]

Thank you for the reply

[@aleksandraklimczak-salaga8245]

@Bhavesh Shaha i set time for 180 min and it shows countdown from 13 minutes. WHY??? Please help!

[@PPTVBA]

Can you please share the code? There might be an error in the constant used. Can you try using "hh:mm:ss" in the textformat and "m" in the timeadd?

[@MarinaArtDesign]

I had same issue, nothing above 13min was showing up so here is the solution: In code bar type NN:SS. N refers to minutes.

[@MarinaArtDesign]

@@PPTVBA Hello. I want to export PPT as 30 min video. How do I get timer to be exported and running on the video? Is it possible? Or I have to screen record?

[@PPTVBA]

You'd have to screen record in this case, or just export the video manually, download a 30 minute countdown video from KZbin and insert it in the earlier exported video. If you have the video recording of the PowerPoint, I'd be happy to insert the timer in the video and share! Thanks.

[@syaifulrakhman9666]

How about using the Pause and resume buttons? I want to make a countdown stopwatch. Thanks Before..

[@PPTVBA]

I've updated the webpage with the same: pptvba.com/countdown#pause You can pause and resume your PowerPoint Countdown Timer using VBA Code present in the above webpage. Have 3 shapes on your slide, on click of which the following macros would be run: Start Button → Sub PlayCountdown() Pause Button → Sub PauseCountdown() Resume Button → Sub ResumeCountdown() When the Pause Button is clicked, the timer freezes and the remaining time is calculated using the DateDiff Function. When the countdown timer is resumed, the future time is updated by adding the remaining time to Now().

[@karlnikolasalcala8208]

This really helped me. Thank you man

[@PPTVBA]

Glad to hear it brotha!

[@jenielabacialsarong786]

Hello, is it possible that in my quiz if I click the wrong answer the timer will be deducted by some seconds?. Thank you for your response it will help a lot for my Thesis.😢

[@TheMusicSettlement]

Hello Bhavesh. Thank you very much for your tutorial -- this is wonderful and very easy to follow! I am trying to set up a 5 minute timer across 20 slides that transition automatically. When my show transitions to the next slide, the timer reverts back to the time that was on slide 1 when the show first began. It's only for a second, but the clock goes from "4:51" to "5:00" then back to "4:49." I'm also having issues with the automatic transitions stopping now that the timer is installed. Do you have any suggestions? Thanks in advance!

[@PPTVBA]

Can you please email me your pretty presentation? It would be much more efficient to help you out like that! Thank you. We also offer services to create the entire template and code. Let me know if you're interested.

[@janakobidovavoigtova7686]

Thank you for the great tutorial! I have anyway one more challenge, because I would like to make run a video in the background of that slide and the countdown on front od the video. Do you know, how to enable it? I would be very glad, if anyone could help me on this issue. Thanks!

[@mathcoachscorner3484]

Not quite sure what I'm doing wrong, but it's not working for me. I made the rectangle and renamed it countdown. I copied the code from your webiste. But when I try to run it, it says it doesn't find a shape called countdown. Any ideas what I'm doing wrong?

[@mathcoachscorner3484]

I got it to work. I didn't realize I had to put the number of the slide the clock in on in the parenthesis in the macro.

[@drewbyer3552]

Can the countdown be edited in VBA to include changing text or background color in last 10 seconds or would this need to be incorporated in animation?

[@catelijnevanwilpen1712]

Thank you for the code! Is there anyway to countdown and add a choicen amoint of time while counting down? Im doin a quiz where time counts down, but one gets +20 seconds is theres a right answer. That if only format of time would also could be sss (for example 180 seconds counting down)

[@PPTVBA]

Hi! This is definitely possible, can you send me an email and I'll help you out!

[@mathwitharslan2942]

Thx. A lot. Your explanaition is too clear.. u r a smart one

[@PPTVBA]

I appreciate your kind words! Thanks for watching!

[@rodneyfcm]

Great tutorial. Works great. Thanks.

[@PPTVBA]

Glad the powerpoint countdown timer helped!

[@msspupi88]

Great video Bhavesh! It was really helpful but I need to add different countdown timers in different slides. For example: slides 1,2,3 time 5mins, slides 4,5,6 time 8 mins, slides 7,8,9 time 2 mins How can I do this?? Thank you!!!

[@PPTVBA]

Hi! You can duplicate the Sub Countdown1() two more times as Sub Countdown2() and Sub Countdown3(). You can then change the timing within each subroutine appropriately. Then, link the corresponding subroutine to the shape.

[@msspupi88]

Thanks for you Quick reponse! I did it but the 1st slides goes ok, but when I want to start the timer for slides 4,5,6 and 7,8,9 It doesn´t work. Sub CountDown1() Dim time As Date time = Now() Dim count As Integer count = 10 time = DateAdd("s", count, time) Do Until time < Now() DoEvents For i = 4 To 5 ActivePresentation.Slides(i).Shapes("CountDown1").TextFrame.TextRange = Format((time - Now()), "nn:ss") Next i If time < Now() Then For i = 4 To 5 Step 2 ActivePresentation.Slides(7).Shapes("CountDown1").TextFrame.TextRange = "Time's Up!" Next i End If Loop End Sub ---- Sub CountDown2() Dim time As Date time = Now() Dim count As Integer count = 10 time = DateAdd("s", count, time) Do Until time < Now() DoEvents For i = 7 To 9 ActivePresentation.Slides(i).Shapes("CountDown2").TextFrame.TextRange = Format((time - Now()), "nn:ss") Next i If time < Now() Then For i = 7 To 9 ActivePresentation.Slides(9).Shapes("CountDown2").TextFrame.TextRange = "Time's Up!" Next i End If Loop End Sub --- Sub CountDown3() Dim time As Date time = Now() Dim count As Integer count = 10 time = DateAdd("s", count, time) Do Until time < Now() DoEvents For i = 11 To 13 ActivePresentation.Slides(i).Shapes("CountDown3").TextFrame.TextRange = Format((time - Now()), "nn:ss") Next i If time < Now() Then For i = 7 To 9 ActivePresentation.Slides(13).Shapes("CountDown3").TextFrame.TextRange = "Time's Up!" Next i End If Loop End Sub thanks!!!

[@ambermoss1773]

Hi Great video thanks for the tutorial. However I copied the code, it says there's an error with the syntax. I'm not sure why. can you help? thanks

[@PPTVBA]

Can you please download the template file of the pptm countdown from my website and crosscheck? Thanks!

[@jenniferbest5851]

Thank you for this tutorial. I can get the countdown clock to run manually is there a wat to get the countdown clock to appear and start as soon as someone opens the PowerPoint? I tried to follow the instructions you posted in the comments but I cannot get it to run.

[@PPTVBA]

Hi! The countdown should work manually on click of it in both windows and mac. However, only windows supports automatically triggering the macro on slideshow mode.

[@jenniferbest5851]

@@PPTVBA hmmmm I am running it on Windows but can’t seem to get it to work.

[@PPTVBA]

@@jenniferbest5851 can you send me your PowerPoint file to my email?

[@jenniferbest5851]

@@PPTVBA I will when I get to work in the morning! Thank you

[@naresh6961]

@Bhavesh Really content in the video is very good and informative. In the video you have provide the time limit without touching the code and in your side you set the slide numbers in the code. My question: is there any possibility to set the no.of slides with out touching the code, please suggest me. Thanks in advance. BR, Naresh

[@PPTVBA]

Hi Naresh! Similar to how we changed the time-limit, you can do this: For i = Int(ActivePresentation.Slides(1).Shapes("slidestart").TextFrame.TextRange) to Int(ActivePresentation.Slides(1).Shapes("slideend").TextFrame.TextRange) instead of For i = 1 to 5 You will have to make two new shapes with the name 'slidestart' and 'slideend' in your 1st slide and type the beginning and ending slide number within those boxes. I hope this helps!

[@anandrajrajan2014]

It's really awesome. Thanks

[@jazzlittle184]

Hi, thanks for the video, this is really helpful and will ease a lot of my lagging problems. I just have one issue. When I try to create a 'mm:ss' timer, the timer goes to 12 minutes. Is there something else I need to change? I have kept the whole code the same except I am using 45 seconds instead of 30 or 300 as you use in the video, and I removed the 'hh:' from the code.

[@PPTVBA]

If you want to have MM:SS, as in minutes and seconds; you have to use NN:SS. N refers to minutes.

[@jazzlittle184]

@@PPTVBA Ahhh! Great I will try that! Thank you so much for the speedy response!

[@PPTVBA]

Anytime! Glad to help you! I had a very similar query earlier and I was so confused. Even while making the video, I was not sure how to have MM:ss, so I just ignored minutes ahaha. I'll add an update on my website.

[@rusadymhmd2167]

i have a question. why sometimes it shows "unknown member. theres currently no active powerpoint show" or some sort. everytime i run the code. im unable to run it well

[@PPTVBA]

You must be running the code without being in slideshow mode?

[@blueskies275]

Hey bro, thank you for a great job! Can you tell me how to start Macros automatically to start the countdown with opening the PPT?

[@SportsCentreLo]

Hi! I'm stuck at the 0:51 mark where I select ACTION and "Run macro:". For whatever reason, it does not allow me to select "Run macro: countdown". Not sure why

[@PPTVBA]

Can you send the PowerPoint file that you've created to my email? Or you can download the free template on my website. What version of Microsoft Office are you using? Is it activated?

[@SportsCentreLo]

@@PPTVBA I'll send it to your email address. I've created a rectangle box called "countdown".

[@PPTVBA]

I've received the file! Please save it as .pptm else your macro codes get deleted!

[@anhelloooo]

Hi! I need to add a button to stop the macro, so the counter stops. How can I do it?

[@PPTVBA]

Hi! I believe you had emailed me regarding the same. I hope it's resolved now!

[@huyhoangvo9980]

Sir! I am so grateful thank you for this. But I am struggling with how to end the countup if needed while in presentation. Could you help me? Thank you Sir!

[@PPTVBA]

You would have to use a Boolean to enable/disable the timer. I'll try updating my webpage in a few days with this information.

[@huyhoangvo9980]

@@PPTVBA Thank you so much!

[@sreedhareeyamdigital4406]

sir, how can i play the countdown without any action " if auto play is possible please show me the code"

[@meghalpandya3881]

this was really helpful...thanks dude !!

[@PPTVBA]

Glad it helped!

[@oanadcraciun]

Hello! I have a quick question. Is there a possibility to stop the timer if, for example, a speaker has not finished all his time, and moving to other slides and other timers set, it would make the presentation load difficultly. So practically, making sure only one timer works at a time (when we have >30 slides with >5 different timers)

[@aleksandraklimczak-salaga8245]

Awesome tutorial, thank you so much!

[@PPTVBA]

Glad you enjoyed it! Let me know if you'd want any more tutorials!

[@akwa6385]

It seems like the animations and hyperlinks that I set up on the slide dont work anymore when the timer macro starts, is there a fix for this? Im setting up a game with moving letters that is timed

[@PPTVBA]

This is a limitation of PowerPoint sadly. Instead of using VBA to work as a counter, I would download a countdown video and embed that on the slide.

[@angelesworld3855]

Hello dear developer. I'm not sure if you'd be able read this. Thank you so much for wonderful video tutorials. I'm struggling to add music when the countdown timer finishes. I tried that "if and then" you have described but it's not working I don't know what I'm going wrong. Could it be possible to upload a code with a "" time up" sound or Music. Please. If anyone else can help please do. Thank you.

[@PPTVBA]

What code syntax did you use for playing the time up sound using If-Then?

[@SportsCentreLo]

Hi Bhavesh, is it possible to include a start, pause, and reset button that impacts the countdown?

[@PPTVBA]

Yep. All of them are possible. To have the reset button, just have the text of the shape change to "00:00:00" using the .textframe.textrange code. The pause button is the trickiest. It is a bit hard to explain - we store the seconds that has lapsed and then make a new countdown with the remaining seconds and then change the text of the shape oncemore.

[@bonusresults5988]

This is great! Thank you!! What do I change to make this a count UP timer instead of a count DOWN timer?

[@PPTVBA]

Hello! Instead of subtracting it, we can just use time().

[@rerehss]

Sorry icant speak english very well I make timedown 20 second and if the students not answer right goto slide time up and it work . But When the students answer right we will goto the anther slide ( well dine ) . The problem the counter sill count ?? When it be 00 it goto the slide time up How can i stop it

[@PPTVBA]

We need to have an If-Then-Else Condition. Please share your code to my email. I shall be able to help you out there further! Thank you!

[@blueskies275]

Bro, how to start macro from one slide to another?

[@prashantshinde3618]

If you have 1 hour presentation with 10 slides , can we set timer for entire 1 hr along with 6 minutes timer for every slide

[@PPTVBA]

Yep, you can change the 'Advance Slide' property under the Transition Tab for each slide.

[@qamarjaunpuri4168]

Wow great. I m interested to learn van codes. How can I learn and how much time it will be required? I needed it for excel work also. I have made timer by animation but that is lots of animation work. Your work is very nice.

[@PPTVBA]

I am writing a book on the basics of VBA currently. I hope to release it by the end of the month. If you already have previous experience in coding, it shouldn't take much long. You can refer to the official documentations available in MS website.

[@qamarjaunpuri4168]

@@PPTVBA Thanks for reply. I don't know any code writing or any computer language. Then from where I should start.

[@jackrivera4846]

It takes a lot of CPU resources, in a countdown of about 10 minutes it kills the computer. It starts with a CPU usage of about 15% but it increases quickly, at the end, it is so slow that it makes almost impossible to jump from slide X to slide Y. But it was a nice try. Thank you.

[@PPTVBA]

That's super odd, I it doesn't bring about a signification change in cpu utilisation in my laptop or in my clients either. I have built quiz games with internal timers and they all have functioned smoothly with no issues whatsoever. What version of Microsoft Office are you using?

[@jackrivera4846]

@@PPTVBA Hi Bhavesh. I am using PowerPoint for Microsoft Office 365 (16.0.13901.20366) 64-bit. And I have place the counter in every of the about 45 slides. Perhaps that might be the problem ...Thank you! Greetings

[@PPTVBA]

I think I have an idea to fix it! I'll try to update my blog post on the same.

[@jackrivera4846]

@@PPTVBA Ok Ok. Sweet. Thank you.

[@sophiadullano5434]

Hello! :) What to do with the "For i = 1 to 5" if I only need the timer to work in slides number 4, 6, and 8?

[@PPTVBA]

"For i = 4 to 8 step 2" The "step 2" part allows us to skip every alternate number. Here the output would be: i = 4, 6, 8.

[@csuk2009]

Hi Bhavesh, Thanks for you great work! How can you adapt this code to create a progress bar timer - this timer works brilliantly, but it would be great if a rectangle shape increases or decreases as the time counts down.

[@PPTVBA]

Hi there! This can be achieved by adding a "wipe: disappear-animation" to a rectangle shape, and changing the duration of the animation to say 5 minutes!

[@brownlkt]

Hello! I'm not sure what I am doing wrong but I have followed your steps as shown in the video and cannot get the timer to appear after creating my box and adding the action. Is there something I should take into consideration for troubleshooting? I copied the code as shown on your site. Thank you for any help you can provide.

[@PPTVBA]

Hi! Can you please email me the file that you've created? I can have a look and revert back.

[@MLTeMus]

@@PPTVBA So what was the problem because I have the same error?

[@PPTVBA]

They didn't email me a their file. Can you share your file and I can have a look?

[@MLTeMus]

​@@PPTVBA I managed it out on my own. Maybe i'm wrong but single countdown didn't work without copy of the object on the first slide. Then when i added timer with loop for many slides to my existed presentation only first countdown worked but after recreating project starting with the timer all worked. Still very good lesson, thx.

[@brownlkt]

@@PPTVBA Sorry for the late response, I was a little overwhelmed with family for the holidays. I have sent the file to your email this morning. Thanks for your help in advance.

[@clarkscience8687]

Thanks for this! Fantastic video and explanation. I need some help making a 60-minute timer. When I change the code to 60 "n" for minutes and delete the hh for hours. The countdown always reverts to 12 minutes. I tried some other variations of the code and wasn't successful. Any suggestions? Ultimately, I want a countdown that says 60:00.

[@PPTVBA]

Hi! I believe that using "nn:ss" should fulfil your requirement.

[@clarkscience8687]

You are brilliant! This did work! Thank you so much!

[@vpt262]

Greeat Video. I am using the countup code from this. I have a question though. Can we add Pause, Start and Reset buttons to it? Also, if say slides 1, 2, 4 need the timer but the slide 3 doesn't then the code doesnt work (the timer pauses after slide 2 and doesnt work on 4) assuming due to the loop being broken. Can the code be modified to accomodate this somehow?

[@PPTVBA]

The simplest fix for having it in slides 1, 2 and 4 but not 3 is by having the shape in slide 3 too but just placing the countdown shape outside the slide! You can let go of the loop shown in this video and check the webpage where a more optimised code is shared. Regarding pause, start and reset. While pausing is possible, I haven't created a code for it. The logic would be to store the remaining time and then have a new countdown with the remaining time. For reset, just changing the text of the shape would do the trick!

[@vpt262]

@@PPTVBA Thanks a lot. I will wait for the Pause, Start and Restart buttons to come. This video has been greatly helpful. Looking below, it seems that a lot of people are interested in it.

[@PPTVBA]

@@vpt262 will work on it!

[@PPTVBA]

pptvba.com/countdown#pause I've updated the blog with the pause and resume button code! I hope this helps.

[@vpt262]

Thanks a lot Bhavesh. Will this code be pasted below the original code or should it run as three standalone macros linked to the buttons?

[@jamesmcnamara]

Thanks for the tutorial Bhavesh. I'm getting this error "Item countdown not found in the Shapes collection" Here is the code I am using. I was to count backwards, then end with "Time up!" in the countdown box. I want countdown box on all 10 slides. The bug seems to happen when I add the code for the "Time up" text. How can this be fixed? Thanks Sub countdown() Dim time As Date time = Now() Dim count As Integer count = 30 'assuming 30 seconds time = DateAdd("s", count, time) Do Until time < Now() DoEvents For i = 1 To 10 ActivePresentation.Slides(i).Shapes("countdown").TextFrame.TextRange = Format((time - Now()), "mm:ss") Next i If time < Now() Then For i = 1 To 10 ActivePresentation.Slides(i).Shapes("countdown").TextFrame.TextRange = "Time up!" Next i End If Loop End Sub

[@PPTVBA]

Hi James! Can you please confirm if the countdown shape is present in all the 10 slides? (all the 10 shapes throughout the 10 slides - 1 shape per slide, has to be named countdown). Also, please note that 'countdown' is case-sensitive. If the error still persists, please send the file over to me via email: [e-mail] and I'll have a look at it! Thanks!

[@jamesmcnamara]

@@PPTVBA yes it is on all 10

[@jamesmcnamara]

No, sorry, not on slide 1. I will fix and check it.

[@PPTVBA]

@@jamesmcnamara please don't hesitate to send me the file through email if the error still persists. Thanks!

[@jamesmcnamara]

Thanks Bhavesh for your feedback. The time is working very well now. Cheers.

[@dailylivetest8230]

do we need to do the make changes in timer for every ppt.

[@PPTVBA]

Hey, I didn't understand your query, can you please rephrase?

[@dailylivetest8230]

@@PPTVBA suppose I make a ppt with normal timer as shown in video. It's okay then I am making new ppt I again need timer . So my question is how can I use that timer for n number of times? I have to do the whole procedure again and again ?

[@PPTVBA]

@@dailylivetest8230 yes you'll have to do the same procedure again and again for each new PowerPoint. However it won't be hard, you just need to copy paste the code and the shape.

[@ThomasSmith-rh8qk]

Hi Bhavesh, how would I add two different count down timers? For example a break countdown timer for 15 mins and a lunch countdown timer for 60 mins?

[@PPTVBA]

You will have to duplicate the code! One would be Sub Countdown15() and the other would be Sub Countdown60(). Change the values accordingly inside the code. Run the corresponding macro on click of the respective shape!

[@WoooTom]

@@PPTVBA I have tried that, however the second timer does not function when clicked upon…

[@PPTVBA]

Only one timer can work at a particular time.

[@WoooTom]

@@PPTVBA I’m not using them at the same time.

[@PPTVBA]

Can you share your PowerPoint file with me? My email is in the description of the video. I'll have a look! Also, make sure the name of both the shapes are different, and that the right shape is being referred to in your code.

[@khanghongminh9657]

How can i subtract the time (like decrease 10 sec or something) for my quizz game, thank you

[@PPTVBA]

Hello, this becomes a complicated question to answer via text but I shall try my best to explain it in brief. In my countdown timer video I showcased how we have a future time and current time. We basically subtract the current time from the future time to get the time remaining to reach the future time - ergo, the countDOWN timer. If we would have to reduce the time for every wrong answer, we would have to subtract n seconds from our future time. To do that, we use: time = time - 10. I hope this helps.

[@khanghongminh9657]

@@PPTVBA i'm still a little confusing, how we will reduce time (we click on timer or something). Can u show me more please

[@khanghongminh9657]

@@PPTVBA and where do we put this into code, thank you

[@PPTVBA]

You'll have to make a separate sub-routine for this. As I mentioned earlier, it's not easy to explain the entire thing via text. A video would be essential to explain the entire schematic. I'll try to make one sometime in the future. However, if it is urgent, my agency is always there to help people in their projects. Feel free to email us with the details and budgets, we will get back to you immediately.

[@HoshiaHoshia]

Will this countdown timer work if I save it as a video? A video which has a countdown lets say 15minutes.

[@PPTVBA]

It won't. This requires VBA to work, so the only format feasible is the one that is macro supported.

[@juanpablobarrera7247]

Thank You! it´s a great tutorial. I Just need help to create 2 or more timers. I tried creating 2 modules, each one for a diferent timer in the same presentation, but the second timer does n't start and send me the error "Item .... not found in the Shapes Collection"... but i checked it and there is the shape. I don't know why the program doesn't recognize the shape, but It would be very helpful if you know how I can solve it. Beforehand, thank you very much.

[@PPTVBA]

Can you check the slide number in the line of code that shows the error? Feel free to send the file over to my email too.

[@vinod6542]

Can we add two or three count down with different time in one slide

[@PPTVBA]

We cannot have multiple timers consecutively. However, we can have a timer for each slide if that is what you're referring.

[@vinod6542]

@@PPTVBA ok

[@TRENDVFY]

how to change the font color of the text box?

[@PPTVBA]

You can select the text and change in within font styles in the home menu. if you're looking for a VBA solution: docs.microsoft.com/en-us/office/vba/api/powerpoint.textrange.font

[@adiplayerfegamer1130]

Great tutorial but I am facing a problem that it keeps on running even when I am not using slideshow and how do I make it automatically run in a particular slide? Could you please help me?

[@PPTVBA]

Yep! Use this line of code instead of a loop: ActivePresentation.SlideShowWindow.View.Slide.Shapes("countdown").TextFrame.TextRange = Format((time - Now()), "hh:mm:ss") For more information: pptvba.com/powerpoint-insert-countdown-timer-vba-tutorial/

[@l.aguirre5550]

como puedo implementarlo en un boton??

[@gerrychua8211]

Hi, can I start the countdown timer automatically with the slide?

[@PPTVBA]

www.vbaexpress.com/kb/getarticle.php?kb_id=983 This resource would help you out

[@karthikraja2422]

Thanks bro..I have doubt 1. How to start count down automatically when click the slide show button 2. How to add different countdown timer in different slides. 3. How to make slide change automatically once the timer completed and move to next slide and start timer again

[@PPTVBA]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/mKSvYqytgtGahck Please check this video where I make a timer which suits those requirements.

[@notbrunobroccoli2624]

It doesn't worn on PP 365

[@samuel.selvin]

Excellent Tutorial! thank you so much, Bhavesh! just one quick question. How to set up the timer to countdown to a certain time? I thought I could just store the certain time in "time" like this: time = #8:00:00 PM# But this did not work.

[@PPTVBA]

Hello! Instead of using DateAdd() to add seconds or minutes or hours. We are using DateSerial() and TimeSerial() to set a particular time on a particular date to which it should countdown. I have updated the webpage with the necessary code for this! Thanks.

[@samuel.selvin]

@@PPTVBA Works like a charm! Thank you so much :)

[@osama__mod6511]

How i can make pause button to the timer

[@PPTVBA]

I've updated the webpage with the same: pptvba.com/countdown#pause You can pause and resume your PowerPoint Countdown Timer using VBA Code present in the above webpage. Have 3 shapes on your slide, on click of which the following macros would be run: Start Button → Sub PlayCountdown() Pause Button → Sub PauseCountdown() Resume Button → Sub ResumeCountdown() When the Pause Button is clicked, the timer freezes and the remaining time is calculated using the DateDiff Function. When the countdown timer is resumed, the future time is updated by adding the remaining time to Now().

[@waqasali-cm6ik]

kindly guide how can i use this in master slide?

[@PPTVBA]

If you want the countdown to span across slides, slide-master would not work. We would follow the exact same method, but instead of ActivePresentation.Slides(x), we would have to use ActivePresentation.Designs(x).SlideMaster.CustomLayouts(y).Shapes.... Here, the x represents the SlideMaster Number, generally 1. y represents the SlideLayout Number.

[@felicious6384]

Is it possible to use this countdown timer on a SlideMaster?

[@PPTVBA]

No, however, you can use the loop in the code to have it across multiple slides.

[@felicious6384]

@@PPTVBA Thank you for your very fast reply!

[@fannylau378]

Great video. Thank you. I have questions. 1. What to do if I want to show "Time up" on all the slides once the countdown is finished and to remain on the current slide even it is time up ? 2. How can I apply the timer to different powerpoint file ? do I have to change/create a new set of code? Assuming that each ppt file with different number of slides

[@PPTVBA]

1. In the notification part, when the countdown gets over, just change the text of the shapes to *Time Up!* For i = 1 to 9 'assuming slides 1 to 9 AP.Slides(I).Shapes("countdown").TextFrame.TextRange = "Time Up" Next i 2. You'll need to just make the countdown once more and change the For Loop with the number of slides of your new presentation.

[@fannylau378]

@@PPTVBA Thank you for your prompt reply. I have made the changes accordingly but error message: "Compile error: Method or data member not found". And here is my full set of code Sub Countdown() Dim time As Date time = Now() Dim count As Integer count = ActivePresentation.Slides(1).Shapes("Timelimit").TextFrame.TextRange time = DateAdd("n", count, time) Do Until time < Now() DoEvents For i = 1 To 2 ActivePresentation.Slides(i).Shapes("Countdown").TextFrame.TextRange = Format((time - Now()), "nn:ss") Next i If time < Now() Then For i = 1 To 2 ActivePresentation.SlidesShowWindow.Shapes("Countdown").TextFrame.TextRange = "Time Up!" Next i End If Loop End Sub

[@PPTVBA]

@@fannylau378 my apologies. I made an error in the code. It has to be this: For i = 1 to 9 'assuming slides 1 to 9 AP.Slides(i).Shapes("countdown").TextFrame.TextRange = "Time Up" Next i

[@fannylau378]

Bhavesh Shaha it works well . Thank you so much

[@PPTVBA]

@@fannylau378 perfect! I'd love it if you could leave a review in trustpilot for pptvba !

[@evanenriquez7965]

How would I add a pause control?

[@PPTVBA]

I've updated the webpage with the same: pptvba.com/countdown#pause You can pause and resume your PowerPoint Countdown Timer using VBA Code present in the above webpage. Have 3 shapes on your slide, on click of which the following macros would be run: Start Button → Sub PlayCountdown() Pause Button → Sub PauseCountdown() Resume Button → Sub ResumeCountdown() When the Pause Button is clicked, the timer freezes and the remaining time is calculated using the DateDiff Function. When the countdown timer is resumed, the future time is updated by adding the remaining time to Now().

[@Diego-jn4kb]

Thank you!!

[@nabiel1619]

not working on my power point. when i click the shape, didn't show any countdown numbers. are you have a solution of my problem? because i'm really following your step very well but its not working

[@PPTVBA]

Can you send me your presentation to my email, so that I could have a look?

[@juliussparks7411]

a great tutorial but when I advance slides my timer stops

[@PPTVBA]

Does your Loop contain all the required slides?

[@ScarfyTheGamer0]

Just brilliant

[@ihsanulmuslim6694]

How to make yours code have different colors? mine only one color

[@PPTVBA]

I modified my Visual Basic Window. There is an option in one of the menu bars.

[@rmsrawat]

There is a problem in timer each slide. If we go to next slide timer is running as of previous slide, while it should start from 20.

[@PPTVBA]

Yes, that is the feature that was explained here. "How can we have the same countdown play across multiple slides?". If you want the counter to start over in every slide, you can make a single counter in each of the slides alone as shown in the first minute of the video! Thank you.

[@ts-dlvv8963]

Hei,There your video is very usefull and good explaind, thank you for that. A question, If you have more than 100 quizquestion and these question come random, can i use your timer also with random question? A other question, in place of a download timer, i want a timer thats going up, throuw the whole presentation random Is that also possible?

[@PPTVBA]

Yes, 100+ questions would also work. Instead of having (time - now()) in the code, just use now()-time, also remove the date add and change the do while loop condition. All these features are also available in my premium template! Thank you!

[@robher9379]

great video!!!!!!!!! any way to make a pause button for the timer?

[@PPTVBA]

Yep! But it involves a little extra complex coding so I didn't show it in this video. Basically, store the difference in another variable and stop the clock when the pause button is pressed. And when the resume button is pressed, bring back the variable which was stored. I'll try making a follow-up tutorial for this.

[@robher9379]

@@PPTVBA thank you!!! It's really appreciated!!!

[@karatealliance567]

@@PPTVBA Hello Bhavesh. Thank you for an excellent tutorial. Have you had time to do a follow-up tutorial for the pause and resume button? An explanation or follow-up tutorial would be much appreciated. Thank you for all your explanation and tutorial. It has been of great help.

[@karatealliance567]

Hello Bhavesh. I found an easy fix to the pause, play button based on the feedback you gave to another person. I recorded the countdown with a screen recorder and embedded it into the PowerPoint as a video. I can now use the play and pause video buttons to control the timer which works perfectly for what I was trying to achieve. Thank you again.

[@PPTVBA]

Glad that the video timer option helped out!