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BSL-Timer is a small countdown timer for Windows. It grew out of a very ordinary need: I wanted a convenient timer that I could keep on top of other windows so I would not forget, for example, about a pot on the stove while working at the computer.
At first I used Hourglass, but over time I started missing some features. So I decided to create my own timer — compact, straightforward, and designed to grow gradually.
But from the very beginning I understood that the pot on the stove was only one particular use case. 😉 I usually have several projects and other tasks running in parallel, and an interesting problem can easily swallow the whole day. So before starting work, I may set a timer for three or four hours. When the time runs out, it is time to switch: work on another project, write something for the website, add a comment to my Daily Reflections page, or simply remember that there is still a world outside BSL-Timer.
A timer can also help limit not only work, but leisure. Sometimes I just want to spend ten minutes in Telegram, browse my favourite entertainment channel for fun, and give my head a break. Without an external signal, those ten minutes can turn into two hours with surprising ease. BSL-Timer does not tell you not to rest — it simply reminds you when it is time to come back up for air.
A stable Free version of the application is currently available.
Current version
BSL-Timer 0.4.0
Release date: August 30, 2026
This is the first stable public release of the updated BSL-Timer.
What’s new in version 0.4.0
- full system tray support;
- configurable Close button behaviour;
- show or hide the main window by clicking the tray icon;
- tray icon colour follows the selected theme;
- red indication when the timer goes overdue;
- optional pulsing for an overdue timer;
- compact status preview when hovering over the tray icon;
- smooth preview fade-in and fade-out;
- proper exit confirmation when a timer is running;
- automatic focus on the minutes field after launch;
- quick timer start with the Enter key.
Download BSL-Timer 0.4.0 Free
Installer package:
BSL-Timer-0.4.0-Free-x64-setup.exe.zip
Extract the ZIP archive and run the installer inside it.
The application is installed into the current Windows user profile and does not require administrator privileges.
The installer is not yet signed with a commercial code-signing certificate, so Windows SmartScreen may display a warning. If this happens, select More info → Run anyway.
Verify the downloaded file
SHA-256:
cf20126c1f031d32c139c21c7a345e98a3719d4aa37c17dae2cbc66a83032b31
The checksum allows you to verify that the archive has not been damaged or modified after publication.
Free edition limitation
BSL-Timer Free allows one timer to run at a time. All colour themes and appearance settings are available without restrictions.
Previous versions
Previously released: 0.3.0 Free
Operating system: Windows 10 and Windows 11, x64
Price: Free
What BSL-Timer can do
The Free edition includes one fully functional timer.
You can:
- set hours, minutes, and seconds;
- start the countdown with the Start button or the Enter key;
- pause and resume the timer;
- stop it;
- restart it with the originally specified duration;
- keep the window always on top;
- change the interface language;
- select a colour theme;
- adjust window transparency;
- adjust the brightness of the main digits independently.
Additional buttons appear only when they are actually needed. Before the timer starts, the interface does not turn into a retirement home for disabled controls.
What happens when the time runs out
When BSL-Timer reaches zero, it plays an audio signal, while the digits and border change to bright red.
But the timer does not stop.
Instead, the application starts showing the overdue time. When you return to the computer, you can immediately see not only that the timer expired, but also how long ago it happened.
Observant users of the Russian localization may discover a small linguistic Easter egg. The author considers it an absolutely essential feature of any serious engineering product. 🤣
Electronic display and colour themes
The main digits use the locally embedded DSEG7 Classic font, which resembles the seven-segment displays found in old digital clocks, calculators, and measuring instruments.
No fashionable rounded zeroes here. Everything is strict, segmented, and almost like the good old DOS days.
The application includes four colour themes:
- Green;
- Blue;
- Purple;
- Tan LCD — styled after an old liquid-crystal display.
All colour themes are available in the Free edition.
Window transparency and the brightness of the main digits can be adjusted independently. Changes are visible immediately, even before you save the settings.
A proper Settings window
The Settings window includes three undeservedly forgotten classic buttons:
- OK — apply changes and close the window;
- Apply — apply changes while keeping the window open;
- Cancel — discard unsaved changes and close the window.
I missed them for far too long!
In many modern interfaces, users are left wondering: has this setting already been applied, or has the interface merely acknowledged my intention? Will it still be there after I close the window? Do I need to click somewhere else, or perhaps sacrifice something to the god of minimalism?
In BSL-Timer, everything is straightforward and predictable.
The application remembers where it belongs
BSL-Timer remembers:
- the main window position;
- the Settings window position;
- the selected language;
- the colour theme;
- window transparency;
- display brightness;
- timer state.
The next time you launch the application, the main window appears where it was when you closed it.
If the Settings window has been dragged partly outside the visible desktop area or below the Windows taskbar, the application moves it back onto the visible screen. Nobody should have to explain to a timer every morning where it is supposed to sit.
Active timers and closing the application
If the user attempts to close an active timer or exit the application while a countdown is running, BSL-Timer can ask for confirmation.
Its behaviour on the next launch is configurable as well. The application can:
- ask whether the previous countdown should be resumed;
- resume it while accounting for the elapsed time;
- reset a timer that is no longer relevant.
This is especially useful if the application was closed in the evening. Finding out the next morning that your pot is eight hours overdue is certainly educational, but not particularly useful.
Free and the future Pro edition
The free version of BSL-Timer is limited to one timer, but that timer remains fully functional.
Colour themes, the electronic display, transparency, brightness, localization, saved settings, and Always on Top are not turned into bait that will later be taken away and sold back to you.
Planned for future Free versions:
- selection of a Windows system sound;
- configurable number of sound repetitions and the interval between them;
- system tray support;
- automatic startup with Windows;
- additional languages;
- new themes, fonts, and appearance options.
Planned for the future Pro edition:
- several independent timers in tabs;
- individual settings for each tab;
- audio output device selection;
- custom sound files;
- additional event types, including reminders for a specific date and time.
No subscription is planned. If a paid version appears, it will be a normal one-time purchase at a reasonable price — not a lifetime rental agreement for a timer from its author.
Installation
- Download the installer archive.
- Extract the ZIP file.
- Run bsl-timer_0.3.0_free_x64-setup.exe.
- Follow the installer instructions.
The installer is not yet signed with a commercial code-signing certificate. Windows SmartScreen may therefore display an unknown publisher warning.
Archive SHA-256 checksum:
dcfe542cd91a5ca49b1082f8b5ca8a6790a97a8924c408e670690b39be8abb43
The source code, license, change history, and published releases are available in the BSL-World repository on GitHub.
About the author
My name is Alexander Vasiliev. I am a systems engineer and the author of BSL-World.ru.
At the age of 51, I managed to leave alcohol behind and began rebuilding my life almost from scratch. One of the results of that work has been my own website and a growing collection of software based on my ideas and created in collaboration with artificial intelligence.
I define the functionality, design the product behaviour, test solutions, find bugs, and bring the result all the way to a working public release.
BSL-Timer has become not only a tool I personally needed, but also a practical part of my professional portfolio. You can read more about me in the article “An Honest Résumé”.
Support development
BSL-Timer is distributed free of charge.
I currently do not have permanent employment, so voluntary support genuinely matters to me. It helps cover hosting costs, development tools, future code-signing certificates, and the development of new applications.
If BSL-Timer has been useful to you and you would like to support its development, I will be sincerely grateful.
Support is entirely voluntary and does not restrict any features of the Free edition.
Support BSL-World projects from Russia
Support development with Bitcoin:
bc1q3l8pgrj34re0q3whmjl96dgp3kgr623afnd8h3
Bugs and suggestions
BSL-Timer continues to evolve.
If you find a bug or would like to suggest an improvement, please report it through GitHub Issues. It is helpful to include BSL-Timer in the issue title so it does not get lost among the other projects in the shared repository.
You can also leave a comment directly below this article.
Even small observations matter. Good software usually grows out of a great many small fixes — including that one particular pixel that decided to sit two points lower than it had been told to. 😂