What a count up timer is good for
- Uptime: viewers see at a glance how long the stream has been running.
- Challenges: “How long will this level take me?” becomes visible for everyone.
- Speedruns and marathons: a clear total time above your game.
- Study with me: show how long you and your chat have been studying together.
Start automatically when you go live
Under “Behaviour”, set the start to “When you go live”. The timer then waits and begins the moment OBS starts streaming. If the source is reloaded while you are already live, it starts right away as well.
Add it to OBS
Copy the URL, add a new Browser source in OBS and enter the width and height shown. You can pause and restart it with a click and a double click in Interact. All details are in the OBS timer guide. For timing outside your stream there is the regular stopwatch with laps.
Frequently asked questions
Does it count from the start of the stream or from loading the source?
You decide. With “When you go live” it starts with the stream, otherwise as soon as the source loads.
Is the time lost when I switch scenes?
No, as long as OBS keeps the source loaded. For very long streams, also enable “Keep running after a refresh”.
Can I pause the timer?
Yes. Click it once in OBS via “Interact” to pause and again to continue.