Common questions

Applies to: TreStack Timer
Updated: 5 November 2026

Timers and countdowns

What timer types are there?

Five. A product page timer shows below the Add to cart button and a top or bottom bar runs across the store. A landing page timer sits at the top of collection pages or on the password page. A cart timer shows on the cart page and in the cart drawer, and an email timer is an image for marketing emails. See TreStack Timer, setup and settings.

How does each countdown work?

Countdown to a date runs to one moment, and every shopper sees the same moment. Fixed minutes gives each visitor their own countdown, which starts when they first see the timer and carries on across page loads in that browser. A recurring timer counts down to the end of a daily window on the weekdays you choose, and a scheduled start keeps a timer out of sight until a later time. See TreStack Timer, setup and settings.

Which time zone does the countdown use?

Your shop timezone, the one set in your Shopify settings, not the time zone of the browser you are using. Dates and recurring windows are entered and run in it. The app picks up a change to it from Shopify by itself. See TreStack Timer, setup and settings.

Why is my deadline an hour out?

The shop timezone in your Shopify settings is probably not the one you think, and daylight saving is the usual cause. Fix the timezone in Shopify rather than moving the deadline. See TreStack Timer, setup and settings.

How do I make a timer end at midnight every day?

Make it a recurring timer with a daily window that ends at midnight, on the weekdays you choose. It counts down to the end of the window in your shop timezone, and a window may cross midnight, in which case it belongs to the day it starts on. See Run a daily or weekly timer.

Why were my timers unpublished, and how do I get them back?

A countdown to a date is set to unpublish at zero by default, and the app does it within a minute without you opening the app; give it a new end date and publish it again. Timers that were unpublished earlier because of a plan stay unpublished until you publish them again. See Pricing and billing.

Why did a shopper's countdown start again?

Fixed minutes are kept in the browser, so another device, a private window, or cleared site data starts a new one. Editing the timer starts everyone again, and a timer set to repeat starts over by design. See TreStack Timer, setup and settings.

Showing on your store

Why isn't my timer showing?

Check, in order: the app embed is on in your live theme, the timer is published and running right now (past its scheduled start, inside its window, not ended), the page matches its placement and exclusions, no other timer of the same type wins on that page, and the visitor's country is one it targets. See When the timer does not appear.

What happens when more than one timer matches the same page or product?

One product timer, one bar, one landing timer and one cart timer show per page in automatic positions. For product timers, a tag timer beats a chosen products timer, which beats a collections timer, which beats an all products timer, and the older timer wins a tie. To show a second timer, put it in an app block. See Running several timers at once.

Can I put a timer somewhere other than its automatic spot?

Yes. Set the timer to Custom position, then use Add app block on the Placement tab and paste the Timer ID into the block. App blocks need an Online Store 2.0 theme, and the app tells you on the Placement tab when yours does not support them. See Turning on the app embed and placing the app block.

Can I show a timer only in some countries?

Yes. The country comes from Shopify, and a timer set to all the world steps aside for visitors in a country that has its own timer of the same type and placement. See Placement, countries, and translations.

Can a shopper close the bar?

Yes, if you keep the close button, which is optional on a top or bottom bar. A shopper who closes it does not see it again in that browser. See TreStack Timer, setup and settings.

Why does it look wrong on a phone?

A resized desktop window is not the same as a phone, so check on a real one. If the timer overflows sideways on a narrow screen, try the Inline layout or smaller digits; if it still overflows, send us the URL and the timer name. A system font shows only where the device has it, so use your theme font or a bundled web font. See When the timer shows in the wrong place or looks wrong.

Design

Can I change the fonts, colors or spacing?

Fonts and colors, yes: three layouts, 20 color presets, your own colors with transparency, gradient backgrounds, and your theme font or a bundled web font. Spacing around a timer in an automatic spot, no: there is no margin to adjust. Use a custom position and move the app block instead. See Design a timer.

Can I add custom CSS?

No. The design settings cover the layout, colors, background, font and labels, and the live preview uses the same rendering code as the storefront. See TreStack Timer, setup and settings.

Can I add a background image?

Yes. Upload one to your store Files from the editor, or pick one from a suggested library, which is imported to your Files too. See Add a background image.

Can I add a button or make the bar clickable?

On landing timers and top or bottom bars, yes: a button, which links to your home page by default, or a clickable bar. Product page, cart and email timers have no call to action. See TreStack Timer, setup and settings.

Cart and email

Can I show a countdown in Shopify checkout?

No. A checkout timer is planned but not built. The nearest is a cart timer, on the cart page and in the cart drawer. See Cart page and cart drawer timers.

How do I add a countdown to the cart page or cart drawer?

Create a cart timer. It is a fixed minutes countdown per visitor, 15 minutes by default, and shows only while the cart holds your store's products. Put {timer} in the title where the clock goes. If it shows on the cart page but not in the drawer, set the Cart drawer selector on the app embed. See Cart page and cart drawer timers.

How do I add a countdown to an email?

Create an email timer, which always counts to a date. After you publish, the Code tab gives an HTML image snippet to paste into a custom HTML block in Shopify Email, Klaviyo, or any tool that accepts HTML. Unpublish it when a campaign ends rather than deleting it, because deleting breaks the image in emails already sent. See Email timers.

Price and views

Is TreStack Timer free?

Yes. Every store gets every feature, with no limit on timer views. On install you pick the Free plan on Shopify's own plan page. Nothing is billed, and there is no plan to choose in the app. See Pricing and billing.

What counts as a view?

One timer seen by one visitor in a browser session. Reloads and other pages in the same session do not count again, a new session does, and two different timers count two. Email opens are not views. Views are counted for each timer's analytics, and there is no limit on them. See Read a timer's analytics.

Themes and removing the app

Why did my timer disappear after I changed themes?

The app embed, its cart drawer selector and any app blocks belong to each theme, so a new theme starts with the embed off. Your timers live in the app and do not change. Turn the embed on in the new theme and place the blocks again; the app Home tells you if the embed is off. See Theme compatibility.

Does it slow my store?

The storefront script measured 11.4 KB gzipped on 26 September 2026, loaded with defer, and nothing loads while no timer is published. In one Lighthouse mobile measurement on one product page on Shopify's Horizon theme, there was no measurable drop in the performance score. That is not a guarantee for every store, and the page explains how to measure your own. See Performance notes.

How do I uninstall the app, and what is removed?

Uninstall it in Shopify under Settings, Apps and sales channels. The app embed and app blocks go with it, since no theme files were edited. Shopify then sends a shop redaction request that deletes your store's data; uploaded background images stay in your Shopify Files. Take email timer snippets out of running flows first, because those images stop working. See Uninstalling TreStack Timer.