---
title: fakeTimers | Config
outline: deep
---

# fakeTimers

- **Type:** `FakeTimerConfig`

Options that Vitest will pass down to [`@sinon/fake-timers`](https://npmx.dev/package/@sinonjs/fake-timers) when using [`vi.useFakeTimers()`](/api/vi#vi-usefaketimers).

## fakeTimers.now

- **Type:** `number | Date`
- **Default:** `Date.now()`

Installs fake timers with the specified Unix epoch.

## fakeTimers.toFake

- **Type:** `('setTimeout' | 'clearTimeout' | 'setImmediate' | 'clearImmediate' | 'setInterval' | 'clearInterval' | 'Date' | 'nextTick' | 'hrtime' | 'requestAnimationFrame' | 'cancelAnimationFrame' | 'requestIdleCallback' | 'cancelIdleCallback' | 'performance' | 'queueMicrotask' | 'Intl' | 'Temporal')[]`
- **Default:** everything available globally except `nextTick` and `queueMicrotask`

An array with names of global methods and APIs to fake. For example, to only mock `setTimeout()` and `nextTick()`, specify this property as `['setTimeout', 'nextTick']`.

`Temporal` is only faked when it is available on the global object: natively (Node.js >= 26 by default, behind `--harmony-temporal` on older versions, and supporting browsers) or through a globally installed polyfill such as `import 'temporal-polyfill/global'`.

Mocking `nextTick` is not supported when running Vitest inside `node:child_process` by using `--pool=forks`. NodeJS uses `process.nextTick` internally in `node:child_process` and hangs when it is mocked. Mocking `nextTick` is supported when running Vitest with `--pool=threads`.

## fakeTimers.toNotFake

- **Type:** `('setTimeout' | 'clearTimeout' | 'setImmediate' | 'clearImmediate' | 'setInterval' | 'clearInterval' | 'Date' | 'nextTick' | 'hrtime' | 'requestAnimationFrame' | 'cancelAnimationFrame' | 'requestIdleCallback' | 'cancelIdleCallback' | 'performance' | 'queueMicrotask' | 'Intl' | 'Temporal')[]`
- **Default:** `[]`

An array of global methods and APIs to exclude from fake timers. Vitest always excludes `nextTick` and `queueMicrotask` when this option is used. To fake either API, use `toFake` instead.

::: warning
Using both `toFake` and `toNotFake` together is not supported.
:::

## fakeTimers.loopLimit

- **Type:** `number`
- **Default:** `10_000`

The maximum number of timers that will be run when calling [`vi.runAllTimers()`](/api/vi#vi-runalltimers).

## fakeTimers.shouldAdvanceTime

- **Type:** `boolean`
- **Default:** `false`

Tells @sinonjs/fake-timers to increment mocked time automatically based on the real system time shift (e.g. the mocked time will be incremented by 20ms for every 20ms change in the real system time).

## fakeTimers.advanceTimeDelta

- **Type:** `number`
- **Default:** `20`

Relevant only when using with `shouldAdvanceTime: true`. increment mocked time by advanceTimeDelta ms every advanceTimeDelta ms change in the real system time.

## fakeTimers.shouldClearNativeTimers

- **Type:** `boolean`
- **Default:** `true`

Tells fake timers to clear "native" (i.e. not fake) timers by delegating to their respective handlers. When disabled, it can lead to potentially unexpected behavior if timers existed prior to starting fake timers session.