Square timer dial panel with tick-arc and hand framed in ink on cool paper.
Timer panel diagram: a framed dial used across this install guide. Tick Quill original tick-arc geometry (original geometry, not the upstream app icon).

Launch expectations

A successful first run shows a tray icon and an overlay you can read. If nothing appears, confirm the process started and check notification overflow. Install reminders: install on Windows. Troubleshooting: troubleshooting.

Winget, Scoop, Chocolatey, and portable installs should behave similarly after launch because they deliver the same app family. Packages: winget and packages.

Short proof countdown

Use a duration you already understand. Watch the overlay tick. When it ends, confirm the message timeout. That proof matters more than installing three skins on day one. First hour: installed. Presets later: countdown presets.

Keep shutdown actions off until you trust duration entry. Shared PCs should avoid shutdown entirely. Timeout guide: timeout actions.

Overlay placement

Enter edit mode, drag the countdown where slides stay readable, scroll to resize, then exit edit mode. Enable click-through only after placement feels stable. Overlay guide: tray and overlay.

Multi-monitor desks should put the overlay on the display you actually watch during talks. Comparison with inbox Clock: vs Windows Clock timer.

Config backup

Copy %LOCALAPPDATA%/Catime/config.ini to a folder you control. That file is the memory for presets and preferences. Privacy claims: is it safe. GitHub docs map: timer GitHub.

Optional tray GIFs and plugins can wait. Home: timer home. Switch from browser tabs: switch from online timers. First run success is a boring, visible countdown you trust.

Desk operations without noise

Write the update door on a card beside the monitor so the next person does not invent a mirror. Prefer winget id VladElaina.Catime or catime_*.exe from GitHub Releases, then prove one short countdown after every reimage before a live talk.

Shared rooms should announce which countdown tool owns the projector machine. Students improve faster when the overlay stays readable and advertising tabs stay closed.

  • Parents should prefer verified package ids because they are harder to spoof than a random download button.
  • When wifi drops mid-session, a local Windows countdown keeps going offline after the first install.
  • Keep phone apps for travel if you want them, but let the desk stay local with one honest update door.

Lab and travel cards

Classroom images should pin the exact install door beside the OS version. After every reimage, prove one short countdown before you call the machine ready.

That habit catches vanished portable folders and adware shortcuts that reappear from old bookmark exports.

Travel laptops benefit from a single documented installer door written beside the folder that holds the portable. Lab images drift when someone installs a second mirror during a blocked SmartScreen prompt.

Return to the home install panel when you need pillar links again. Releases stay on timer releases. Safe fetch habits stay on download safe. Troubleshooting stays on troubleshooting when the tray icon hides or SmartScreen blocks a portable you already verified.

Frequently asked questions

Where is the tray icon?

After launch, look in the Windows notification area for the Catime tray entry. Left-click sets time and right-click opens the menu. If it is hidden, open the overflow chevron and drag the icon into view.

What should I try first?

Start with a three to five minute countdown and a message timeout so you learn the end cue without locking or shutting down the PC on a shared account during the first Windows timer session.

Where is config stored?

Upstream PRIVACY.md places configuration under %LOCALAPPDATA%/Catime/ including config.ini. Copy that file before experiments if your presets matter, because local storage will not sync itself to another device for you.