How do I use automatic tracking?
Detect your active apps and browser tabs and turn them into time entries
This article is for: Standard user, Manager, Project manager, Admin, Account owner
Info: Recorded data stays on your device and is never sent to the TimeTac server.
Table of contents
- About automatic tracking
- Enable automatic tracking
- Manage the blocklist
- Add detected time to your calendar
- Disable automatic tracking
About automatic tracking
Once enabled, automatic tracking runs in the background and identifies which app or browser tab is active on your device. The detected activity appears as a separate column in your calendar, where you can review each item and turn it into a time entry.
A few conditions to keep in mind:
- Automatic tracking works only in the desktop app, not in the web app, and is not supported on Linux.
- Each user enables the feature for themselves.
- Recorded data stays on the device and is never sent to the TimeTac server.
- If you switch off automatic tracking, data is no longer collected. Already detected items remain in the calendar.
Enable automatic tracking
To start using automatic tracking, open the TimeTac desktop app and follow these steps:
- Open your User profile.
- Go to the Automatic tracking tab.
- Switch on Allow automatic tracking.
What happens next depends on your operating system.
On Windows
The Windows Defender Firewall asks whether the desktop app is allowed to communicate on public and private networks. Allow access to continue. The blocklist appears, and tracking begins right away.
On macOS
A TimeTac dialog titled Allow accessibility access opens, explaining that the app needs accessibility permissions to detect your active app and browser tab. Follow these steps:
- Click Allow access in the TimeTac dialog.
- Allow the request in the macOS system dialog. If the system dialog does not open automatically, click Open System Settings.
- In System Settings > Privacy & Security > Accessibility, switch on the entry for the TimeTac desktop app.
Warning: Without accessibility access, automatic tracking cannot run on macOS. If you revoke access later, tracking stops and a notice appears asking you to allow access again.
Manage the blocklist
The blocklist lets you exclude specific apps and websites from being recorded. Use it for personal apps, sensitive tools, or anything you do not want to see in your calendar.
The blocklist has two tabs:
- Apps — shows applications detected on your device. Switch off any you do not want recorded.
- URLs — lets you manually add websites to exclude.
Info: Subdomains of a blocked URL are also excluded. For example, blocking slack.com also blocks app.slack.com.
Add detected time to your calendar
When automatic tracking is on, your calendar shows a separate column with everything detected on your device. Each entry shows the app or website name and the time spent on it. From here, you can either turn an entry into a time entry or send it to the blocklist.
Turn a detected entry into a time entry
- Click the entry in the automatic tracking column, or hover over it and click Add to calendar.
- The time entry dialog opens with all fields pre-filled, including start and end time.
Send a detected entry to the blocklist
Hover over an entry in the automatic tracking column and click Add to blocklist. The entry disappears from your calendar, and that app or website is not recorded again.
Tip: You can also switch automatic tracking on or off directly from the calendar header without opening your profile.
Disable automatic tracking
To stop automatic tracking, uncheck Allow automatic tracking in your User profile > Automatic tracking. Data is no longer collected. Detected entries that you already added to your calendar as time entries stay in the system. Your blocklist is preserved, so you do not need to set it up again the next time you enable the feature.
You now know how to use automatic tracking in the TimeTac desktop app.