The Digital Clock effect fills the screen with a large, live clock in one of six visual styles — from a mechanical-looking split-flap board to a glowing neon readout. It turns any spare screen into a standalone clock for a desk, a room, a stream overlay, or a retro gaming corner, without a browser tab or window chrome getting in the way.
Before you start
- The correct system time and time zone on the device showing the display. The clock reads that device's own clock; it does not fetch time from the internet and has no time zone selector. If the display is wrong, fix the clock in the operating system, not on this page.
- A screen you're comfortable leaving on this page, since the effect only shows the clock — there's no other content to switch to without leaving the page.
Set it up
- Open the Digital Clock effect.
- Select a Clock Style: Split Flap, LED, LCD, Modern, Neon, or Matrix.
- Turn Show Seconds on or off.
- Turn 24 Hour Format on or off, depending on whether you want a 24-hour readout or a 12-hour clock with AM/PM.
- Pick a Background Color and a Clock Color.
- Choose a Size: Small, Medium, Large, or Extra Large.
- Select Go Fullscreen to hide the tabs and address bar.
You'll know it worked when the time is visible in your chosen style and colors and the display is actively ticking — once a second with Show Seconds on, once a minute with it off.
To leave fullscreen, press Escape or move your mouse and select Exit Fullscreen.
What each control does
| Control | Options | What it changes |
|---|---|---|
| Clock Style | Split Flap, LED, LCD, Modern, Neon, Matrix (default: Split Flap) | The typeface, layout, and animation. Split Flap mechanically flips each character; LED and Neon add a glow around a monospace font; LCD places the time in a dark panel; Modern uses a thin sans-serif face with no glow; Matrix adds a faint green-tinted panel behind a monospace font. |
| Show Seconds | On/off (default: on) | Adds a :SS segment to the time and updates the display every second instead of every minute. |
| 24 Hour Format | On/off (default: on) | On shows 24-hour time (14:30). Off shows 12-hour time with an AM/PM suffix (02:30 PM). |
| Background Color | Color picker (default: black) | Fills the area behind the clock. On Split Flap and LCD, only the space around a fixed dark panel changes — the panel behind the digits stays dark. On Matrix, a faint green tint always overlays this color. LED, Modern, and Neon show it directly with no overlay. |
| Clock Color | Color picker (default: white) | Sets the digit color in every style, and the glow color on LED and Neon. |
| Size | Small, Medium, Large, Extra Large (default: Medium) | Scales the clock's font size for the screen it's on. |
This effect has no Brightness or Color Temperature slider — it uses its own color controls instead.
Common setups
- Retro desk or shelf display. Split Flap, default white Clock Color, Size Large, Show Seconds on. The flip animation is the whole appeal here, so leave seconds on to see it run.
- Streaming overlay or gaming corner. Neon, Clock Color set to a saturated pink or cyan, Background Color black, Size Large or Extra Large. The glow reads well over a dark background or capture scene.
- Classroom or waiting-room display. LCD or LED, 24 Hour Format off for a 12-hour readout most people read faster, Show Seconds off to reduce visual noise, Size Extra Large for visibility across a room.
- Ambient hacker/matrix aesthetic. Matrix, Clock Color green, Size Large, Show Seconds on. The default green Clock Color matches the built-in tint instead of fighting it.
Troubleshooting
The clock shows the wrong time. The display reads the system clock and time zone of the device it's running on, not an internet time source. Correct the date, time, and time zone in that device's operating system settings, then reopen the page.
Changing Background Color doesn't seem to do anything. This depends on style. On Split Flap and LCD, the panel directly behind the digits is a fixed dark box, so Background Color only changes the area around it. On Matrix, a faint green tint always sits over this color. Switch to LED, Modern, or Neon if you need the background color to show fully behind the numbers.
I can't find a way to show more than one time zone. Digital Clock has no time zone control by design — it always shows the local device time. Use the separate Digital World Clock effect, which displays several time zones at once.
The Split Flap display resizes or jumps when I change Show Seconds or 24 Hour Format. This is expected. The number of tiles is generated from the length of the time string, so toggling either control changes the tile count and the display reflows once. It settles immediately and keeps ticking normally.
The controls disappeared in fullscreen. They fade out after five seconds without mouse movement so they don't clutter the display. Move your mouse to bring back the gear icon and Exit Fullscreen, or press Escape to leave fullscreen entirely.
My style and color choices are gone after I reload the page. Nothing on this effect is saved between visits — Clock Style, Show Seconds, 24 Hour Format, both colors, and Size all reset to their defaults on reload. Note the combination you like, or bookmark the effect and set it again each time.
Next steps
For multiple time zones on one screen in the same six visual styles, use Digital World Clock. For a timed countdown using similar clock styles, see Countdown Timer.