Everyday use
Use the desktop agent
Connect the agent, read what it collects, and understand the tray, idle prompts, private time, pausing and what happens after a crash.
The TimeLogger desktop agent is a small app that runs on your Windows computer. It powers the timer when you’re offline, records time automatically if your policy is Automatic, and — only where your policy allows — captures app names, screenshots and activity counts. It always shows in the system tray, and it always shows you what it collects.
| Person | Workspace | Policy | Mode |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rohan Das | Acme Studio | Default hybrid | Hybrid: timer plus automatic capture |
About the pictures on this page
Install and connect#
Your admin gives you an installer from WorkspaceDeployment, or installs it through your company’s device management. If it was set up for you, the agent may only ask for your work email.
Open TimeLogger from the Start menu or tray
The first screen is Connect this device.
Sign in
Enter the Workspace URL, your Work email and Password, choose whether This device is Company-owned or My own device (BYOD), then choose Connect device.
Got an enrolment token from your admin instead? Choose Have an enrolment token from your admin?, paste it into Enrolment token and choose Connect with token. If your IT team set the device up, you’ll see Your IT team set this device up. — enter your work email and choose Finish setup.
Read what will be collected
Before anything is captured, the agent shows What we collect — the full picture for your policy, including what is never collected. Nothing is recorded until you choose I understand — start. Your acknowledgement is saved against the exact policy version and appears in your consent history.
Using your own computer
The agent window#
Open it from the tray icon. At the top a chip tells you the current state; below it you’ll find:
| Part | What it means |
|---|---|
| Tracked today, Active, Activity | Your time today, the part with keyboard or mouse activity, and your activity level (0–100) for the last minute. Activity level measures interaction, not value — low levels are normal for reading, design and calls. |
| Timer | Start, Pause, Resume and Stop, with a project picker. Shown when your policy includes a timer (Manual or Hybrid). |
| Current app, Screenshots, Webcam photos | What the agent is recording right now, and whether screenshots or webcam photos are on for your policy. |
| Start private time | Pause all capture for personal time (if your policy allows it), with the minutes you have left today. |
| What we collect | The same plain-language list you saw at first run, always up to date with your policy. |
| Open my dashboard | Opens the web app, where you see everything recorded about you. |
| Sync | When the agent last sent data, how much is waiting (Buffered) and a Sync now button. |
Tray colours#
The tray icon carries a small coloured dot so you can see the state without opening anything. Hover over it for a description such as “TimeLogger: tracking (Brand Refresh)”.
| Dot | What it means |
|---|---|
| Green | Tracking. |
| Amber | Idle or away — no keyboard or mouse input for a while. |
| Grey | Paused, or private time. Nothing is captured. |
| Blue | Outside your capture window. The agent is running but recording nothing. |
| Red | Someone is viewing your screen live. The window also shows “A manager is viewing your screen right now.” |
Idle time#
When there’s no keyboard or mouse input for longer than your policy’s idle threshold, the agent marks that stretch as idle (and, after a longer threshold, away). What happens next depends on your policy:
- Pause and ask — the timer pauses; when you return you see “You were idle for 18 min (11:02–11:20)” and choose Keep, Discard or Move to project (for example, you were in a meeting).
- Keep tracking, marked as idle — the time stays on the entry and is reported as idle.
- Leave it out — the idle stretch is removed from your tracked time.
- Stop the timer — the timer stops at your last input.
Anything you didn’t answer in the agent also appears on the web in MeMy entries, under idle periods to review. See Review and fix your entries.
Pause, private time and working outside hours#
| Button | What it means |
|---|---|
| Pause / Resume | Pauses the running timer and keeps its project, task and note for when you resume. Your policy may ask you to choose a reason, may not allow pausing, and may close a timer that stays paused too long (“Your paused timer was closed after 30 minutes.”). |
| Start private time | Stops all capture for personal time. Your policy sets a daily allowance; the button shows how much is left, and private time ends on its own when it’s used up. It isn’t available while a manual timer runs. |
| I am working now | Appears outside your capture window in Automatic mode. It starts a session for work you do outside your usual hours; the session is marked as outside working hours so it’s easy to recognise. Choose Stop working outside hours when you’re done. |
If something interrupts you#
The agent closed while the timer was running#
If your computer crashed or the agent was closed while a timer ran, the agent asks when it starts again: “You were tracking Brand Refresh until 16:40”. Choose Keep to keep the time up to your last activity, or Discard. You can fine-tune the times on the web afterwards. The question waits for you, even across restarts.
Very short entries#
If you stop a timer after only a few seconds and your policy sets a minimum, the agent asks “Keep this 20-second entry?”.
Sleep and clock changes#
If your computer sleeps, the running entry ends at your last activity and the gap is recorded as system sleep, not as work. A manual timer continues as a new entry when the computer wakes. If the computer’s clock jumps, the entry is flagged so an approver can take a look.
Tracking on another device#
If you already have a timer running on another computer, the agent shows “Tracking is running on ROHAN-LAPTOP”. Choose Move tracking here to stop it there and start here, or Keep it there.
Offline, sync and updates#
- Offline: the agent keeps working and stores what it records on your computer, then sends it when you’re back online. Before sending, it re-checks everything against your current policy, so anything your policy no longer allows is dropped rather than uploaded.
- Stored securely: data waiting to be sent is encrypted on your computer with a key kept in Windows’ credential store. The Sync card says “Local data is encrypted on this device.”
- Updates: when a new version is out, the window shows Update available with the version and what changed, and you get one notification. Choose Update now to install it: the agent closes for a moment and reopens, and your timer keeps running. Later hides it, and Check for updates (bottom of the window, or the tray menu) looks again. If your IT team manages installs, it says so instead. If a version is withdrawn, the agent shows Capture is paused on this device until the fixed version installs.
What the agent never collects#
What the member sees
Questions#
Can I quit the agent?
Does it work on a Mac?
Where can I see what it recorded today?
Something unclear or out of date? Tell your workspace admin, or write to the TimeLogger team from Settings — we update these guides with every release.