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I would like to be able to quickly set a timer using the Alarms & Clock app in Windows 10. Ideally, I would prefer to press the Win key and type something to create (and potentially start) a timer, using an argument I could provide.

Is this possible? Is there already a means of doing so, or can I create a *.bat executable to accomplish this? How would I approach this?

Alarms & Clock

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  • have you tried the command from my answer? Do you need something else?
    – magicandre1981
    Commented May 4, 2017 at 15:55
  • @magicandre1981 The command in your answer just opens the app. That answers the title of the question, but completely ignores the body.
    – KOVIKO
    Commented May 4, 2017 at 15:58
  • I can only answer what is possible. you can start it from commandline, but nothing else.
    – magicandre1981
    Commented May 5, 2017 at 15:31

6 Answers 6

Reset to default
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To launch the Alarm app of Windows 10 run this command:

explorer.exe shell:Appsfolder\Microsoft.WindowsAlarms_8wekyb3d8bbwe!App

enter image description here

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  • 4
    Also you can execute this command start ms-clock: Pay attention to the colon in the name (URI) at the end.
    – hotenov
    Commented May 18, 2022 at 16:33
  • Thank You! I had a timer window locked open every time I started the clock app. Running the "shell:" version of the command reset the application behavior.
    – Robert Love
    Commented Oct 4, 2023 at 17:46
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The Alarm app settings are stored in \Users\<user>\AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.WindowsAlarms_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalState\Alarms\ in the Alarms.json file (condensed JSON format).

When I added an entry to Alarms.json manually and then opened the Alarms app via shell link (explorer.exe shell:Appsfolder\Microsoft.WindowsAlarms_8wekyb3d8bbwe!App) the new Alarm entry showed up.

Not sure if this exactly answers your question since you'd have to script the manual work I did to the file but it is possible with the steps here.

Hope that helps!

EDIT: Re-read your question and noticed you wished to create a Timer instead of an Alarm. Timers are stored in the same format as Alarms in the file Timers.json under similar path \Users\&lt;user&gt;>\AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.WindowsAlarms_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalState\Timers\

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Just one remark : I arrived here trying to find out how to execute the alarm on my machine, and even the command above wouldn't work.

It happens that sometimes the application just isn't installed by defaut. When that's the case, the simplest is to use this link to reinstall it from the Microsoft store : Microsoft Corporation‬ - Windows Alarms & Clock
(if you get a prompt to install it on several machines just ignore it. Make sure you complete the download and execute at the end. After installation, the command line shown in the other answer will work to run it)

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I've been looking for the same and I'm suggesting the alternative I found: Hourglass.exe

It's a GUI and open source program for windows.
Pretty minimalistic, gets the job done.

And it has a scriptable command line interface.

"C:\Program Files (x86)\Hourglass\Hourglass.exe" --title spaghetti 10minutes

enter image description here

Yes it's not included in windows, but we're talking about a 1Mb bynary that just does the job, no strings attached.

And yes, you can set multiple ones: they open in separate instances.

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Sadly Alarms & Clock app in Windows 10 don't have command-line interface.

As suggested by ZJR, Hourglass.exe app is a good choice to use as cli timer. You can pass all settings in cli and automate configuration of timer for different use cases easily. Need to use different sounds, titles, size, position etc.? Easy. Just put sounds you like to app folder.

Tried to do same with 'Windows Alarms and Clock' app. I even couldn't find configuration files Ben talked about. So i just copy pasted alarms sounds to Hourglass in the end and use it.

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  • As it’s currently written, your answer is unclear. Please edit to add additional details that will help others understand how this addresses the question asked. You can find more information on how to write good answers in the help center.
    – Community Bot
    Commented Mar 18, 2023 at 17:27
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For those who are interested in the Hourglass application mentioned in the answer above, please take a look at the Hourglass modified by me. Changes from the original application can be found here. The latest release can be downloaded here.

Hourglass Command-line Example

hourglass -n on -a on -g on -c on -w minimized -i left+title -t "Timer 1" 1h23

creates

  • 1 hour 23 minutes long timer: 1h23
  • named Timer 1: -t "Timer 1"
  • with the notification area icon: -n on
  • with the timer window:
    • which is always on top: -a on
    • shows the reversed progress bar: -g on
    • displays time in the digital clock format: -c on
    • initially minimized: -w minimized
    • has the time left and the timer name displayed in the title: -i left+title

Command-line usage

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    Your answer could be improved with additional supporting information. Please edit to add further details, such as citations or documentation, so that others can confirm that your answer is correct. You can find more information on how to write good answers in the help center.
    – Community Bot
    Commented Feb 8 at 13:30

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