Birthday countdown: how many days until my birthday?

How many days until your birthday?

This birthday countdown answers "how many days until my birthday?" in a couple of clicks. Choose the day and month you were born and the page shows the days, hours, minutes and seconds to your next birthday, the day of the week it falls on and, if you add your year of birth, the age you are about to turn.

Your date is kept on this device, so the countdown is waiting for you next time without retyping anything. It is never sent anywhere.

How to use it

1. Pick your birthday in "Day" and "Month".
2. If you like, fill in "Year of birth (optional)" to see the line "You will turn …".
3. Read the countdown under "Time left", the sentence "My birthday: in … days" and the line "It falls on a …".
4. On the day itself, "Happy birthday!" replaces the digits, along with your new age if the year is known.
5. "Clear" removes the date from the device, which is handy on a shared computer.

You can also enter a friend's or relative's birthday to see how long you have left to find a present or post a card.

Birthday customs

In the UK, the US and other English-speaking countries, birthdays usually mean a cake with one candle for each year, or number candles once the count gets high. Everyone sings "Happy Birthday" and the birthday person blows the candles out, ideally in one breath, while making a silent wish. Cards matter more than in many other countries: they are posted to arrive on the day and often stay on the mantelpiece for a week. Some ages carry extra weight. In the UK, 18 is the age of adulthood and 21 is still celebrated in many families; in the US, 16, 18 and 21 are the big ones. Round numbers such as 30, 40 and 50 often bring a larger party or a surprise.

Ways to use the wait

• For children. "Number of sleeps" counts the nights until the big morning; crossing off a box on a calendar each evening makes the wait feel real.
• Planning a party. With the weekday shown, you can tell straight away whether to celebrate on the day or the weekend before.
• Arranging a surprise. Enter the birthday person's date and the countdown tells you how many weeks you have to invite friends and order the cake.

How the countdown is worked out

The target is the next date of your birthday, at midnight in your device's time zone. If your birthday has already passed this year, it aims at next year. The age shown is the year of that next birthday minus your year of birth. The time left is recalculated several times a second from the target date, and days are calendar days, so a clock change does not throw the result out.

Frequently asked questions

I was born on 29 February. Which day is counted?

In leap years, 29 February. In other years the tool counts 1 March, the day after 28 February, so your birthday never comes before a full year has passed; a line under the countdown says so. If you prefer to celebrate on 28 February, take one day off the count shown.

What happens on my birthday?

From midnight the page shows "Happy birthday!" and, if you entered your year of birth, "You are … today". The next day it starts counting down to your following birthday.

Is my date stored anywhere?

Only in your browser's local storage on this device. Nothing is sent, and "Clear" deletes it.