Countdown Timer in PowerShell

Display a countdown that updates the same line each second.

WindowsTerminalpowershellproductivityLow risk

Run the loop to count down from ten; press Ctrl+C to stop early.

01Command

Command

$ 10..0 | ForEach-Object { Write-Host "`r$_ seconds remaining " -NoNewline; Start-Sleep -Seconds 1 }

02What it does

The range 10..0 is piped to ForEach-Object, which writes the remaining seconds with a carriage return so the same line is overwritten, then sleeps one second. Change the range or use a while loop for longer timers.

03Risk

RiskLow risk

RequirementsWindows 10/11 with PowerShell 5.1 or PowerShell 7+

!Warning: Interrupting with Ctrl+C leaves the cursor mid-line; run Clear-Host afterwards to tidy the console.

04Undo

✓No undo needed — this command does not change persistent state.

05Sources

Start-Sleep
Microsoft Learn · vendor-doc · 2026-09-20
Evidence: Pauses execution; used to tick the countdown once per second.
Write-Host
Microsoft Learn · vendor-doc · 2026-09-20
Evidence: Writes to the console; -NoNewline overwrites the same line.

Last verified: 2026-09-20 · Category: System & Settings

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