TimoDesk Docs

Troubleshooting

This troubleshooting guide lists the problems TimoDesk users run into most, with the checks that fix each one. Anyone can use it, but some fixes need an Organizer or Business Manager, because only they can change member settings.

Who can use it: Everyone. Each section says who has to make the change and links to the full guide.

The desktop app isn't tracking time

The app tracks time only when your account can track, you're on a project, and the timer is running on a task.

  1. Make sure the timer is running. The app records nothing while the timer is stopped.

  2. Ask an Organizer or Business Manager to check the Members page. Your status should be Active and Tracking should be On. They can only turn tracking on after you're approved and your email is confirmed.

  3. Check that you're assigned to at least 1 project. You can only track time on projects you're assigned to.

  4. If you stopped using the keyboard and mouse, the app may have stopped counting because you went idle. See My idle time wasn't counted.

  5. If nobody in your organization can track, check whether the organization is suspended. See My organization is suspended.

For the full steps, see how a member starts tracking time.

I don't see any projects or tasks in the app

The app lists only the projects you're assigned to, and under each one, only the tasks assigned to you.

  • No projects: ask your Organizer, a Business Manager or your Team Manager to assign you to a project.
  • No tasks on a project: add a task from the app. TimoDesk creates it in the first section of the project's task board and assigns it to you.
  • A task is missing: archived tasks don't appear in the app.

See how to pick a task and start the timer.

I can't sign in to the desktop app

Sign in with the same email and password you use for the web dashboard.

  • If you joined with an invite link, an Organizer or Business Manager has to approve you first. You can't sign in while you're waiting for approval.
  • If your request to join was rejected, you can't sign in.
  • If your account is disabled, you can't sign in to the dashboard or the app. Ask an Organizer or Business Manager to enable you.
  • If you forgot your password, reset it from the dashboard's sign-in page. See I forgot my password.

See how to sign in.

The app signed me out on another computer

Your account can be signed in on one computer at a time, so signing in on a second computer signs you out on the first one.

You can install the app on both computers. Sign in on the one you want to track on. Changing or resetting your password also signs you out of the app and the browser extension, so sign in again with the new password. See how to sign out.

I forgot my password

Reset it with a one-time code that TimoDesk emails to you.

  1. On the dashboard's sign-in page, click Forgot password?.

  2. Enter your email and click Send reset code.

  3. Open the email with the subject "Your one-time reset code". Check your spam or junk folder if you can't find it.

  4. Enter the code and click Verify code.

  5. Enter a new password of at least 6 characters, type it again and click Reset password. Then sign in with it.

  • A code works for 30 minutes. When you ask for a new code, the old one stops working.
  • A wrong or expired code shows "The verification code you entered is incorrect or has expired." and takes you back to the first step. After 5 wrong tries, the code is canceled and you need a new one.
  • You can ask for up to 5 codes an hour. After that, you see "Too many reset codes requested. Please try again later."
  • A reset signs you out of the desktop app and the browser extension. Sign in there again with the new password.

If you know your current password and want a new one, change it on your profile. See how to change your password.

The app asks for macOS permissions

On a Mac, the app needs Screen Recording for screenshots, Input Monitoring to measure activity, Accessibility to track apps and websites, and Notifications to show idle and screenshot alerts.

  1. Click the button on the app's banner. It opens the right pane in System Settings > Privacy & Security.

  2. Allow Screen Recording. You only need it if screenshots are on for you.

  3. Allow Input Monitoring.

  4. Allow Accessibility and Notifications for TimoDesk in System Settings too.

When you turn a permission off, Organizers and Business Managers get a notification that says what stopped working. While it's off, they see a badge such as Screen Recording off next to your name on the Members page. See which macOS permissions the app needs.

Screenshots are missing

A block with tracked time but no screenshot usually means a long screenshot interval, screenshots turned off for the member, or a Mac without Screen Recording.

  1. Check the screenshot interval. At 10 minutes or less, a 10-minute block with tracked time normally has at least 1 screenshot. With a longer interval, such as 30 minutes, most blocks show No Screenshot.

  2. Check the member's Screenshots column on the Members page. When tracking is off, screenshots are off too.

  3. On a Mac, check that the Screen Recording permission is on.

  4. Remember that TimoDesk deletes screenshots taken during idle time, and manual time never has screenshots.

See what controls what gets captured.

Custom storage stopped saving screenshots

If you edited your own storage, TimoDesk set it back to unverified and disabled, so new screenshots go to TimoDesk storage until you verify and enable it again.

  1. Open Settings > Storage and look at the storage's Status and Verification.

  2. Click Verify Now. If it fails, hover over the info icon to see the last verification error.

  3. Click Enable, then Enable Storage.

When your own storage is active and an upload to it fails, TimoDesk doesn't keep a copy or try again. That screenshot has no image. Failed uploads to TimoDesk storage are tried again later. If a file was removed from your bucket or server, the viewer shows This screenshot could not be loaded.

Only Organizers can change storage. See how to edit a storage and how to switch storage.

Activity looks too low

Activity is the share of tracked seconds with keyboard or mouse input, so work without input lowers it.

  • Reading, thinking and video calls can lower activity, even when the member is working.
  • Approved manual time doesn't lower activity in the reports, because activity averages leave it out. The dashboard is the exception: it still counts manual time as no activity, so its activity figures can be lower than the reports. See how manual time shows in reports.
  • On a Mac, the app can't measure activity without the Input Monitoring permission.

Treat activity as a signal, not a score. See how activity is measured.

My idle time wasn't counted

TimoDesk never adds idle time to tracked time. When there's no keyboard or mouse input for the idle timeout, the app stops counting.

  • The default idle timeout is 5 minutes. Organizers and Business Managers can set it from 3 to 60 minutes, for everyone or for one member, on the tracking policy page.
  • If you worked away from the computer, request the time as manual time. This works only if your organization has it turned on.

See how idle detection works.

Time I tracked offline hasn't shown up

The app saves offline time on your computer and sends it when you're back online.

  • Connect to the internet. The app sends the saved time once you're back online.
  • If your computer's clock is wrong, the app keeps the time on your computer until the clock is correct.
  • TimoDesk only accepts offline time that started in the last 30 days. Older time is dropped, so connect at least once within 30 days of working offline.

See whether you can track time offline.

Websites are missing from reports on Linux

On Linux, the app can't read browser URLs by itself, so you need the TimoDesk URL Tracker browser extension.

Install it for Chrome or Firefox. Time tracking, activity, apps and screenshots work without it. See how to track websites on Linux.

TimoDesk says the email is already taken

The address already belongs to a TimoDesk account or already has an open invite from your organization.

Check the Invites sent tab, and cancel the old invite if you want to send a new one. An expired invite doesn't block a new one, and neither does an invite from another organization. Each email address belongs to one TimoDesk account. See how to invite a member by email.

I can't invite members or my verification link expired

You need a verified email before you can invite or add members, and each verification link works for 30 minutes.

  1. On the dashboard, click Send Verification Link. You can request a new link every 2 minutes.

  2. Open the email with the subject "Please confirm your email address". Check your spam or junk folder if you can't find it.

  3. Click the button in the email within 30 minutes.

Only the newest link works. If you open a link from an older email, you see "This verification link has been replaced by a newer one." Use the link in the latest email instead. See how to verify your email.

I can't turn on tracking for a member

You can only turn on tracking for members who are approved, have confirmed their email and aren't disabled.

  • Hover over the grayed-out switch to see which reason applies.
  • For a disabled member, enable them first.
  • You can only turn screenshots on while tracking is on.

See how to turn time tracking and screenshots on or off.

A member doesn't appear in reports

Member dropdowns show active members only, and Team Managers see only the members of the teams they manage.

  • Disabled members and people waiting for approval don't appear in the member dropdowns. Time from members who were disabled later still counts under All Members. To see a disabled member's screenshots, open the Screenshots page from their link on the Members list.
  • If you're a Team Manager, the member has to be on a team you manage.
  • Top and low performer rankings include only members with tracked time in the date range.

See how to choose a member and what Team Managers can see.

A manual time request is missing

If you don't see Manual Time in the sidebar, manual time is off for your organization or for you, and you don't review requests.

  • Ask an Organizer to turn it on under Account > Manual Time. If it's on for the organization, ask an Organizer or Business Manager to check your Manual time setting on the tracking policy page.
  • Reports show manual time only after it's approved. Pending and rejected requests don't appear, and removed entries come out of reports.
  • Canceled and removed entries appear only under the All filter.
  • You can't pick times that overlap tracked time, manual time or a request waiting for review. Your organization may also limit how long an entry can be and how far back you can request.
  • TimoDesk doesn't send emails about manual time. You get a dashboard notification when a reviewer acts on your request, and My Requests always shows the status. See manual time notifications.

See manual time limits and rules and what each request status means.

My organization is suspended

TimoDesk suspends an organization when an invoice is still unpaid 7 days after it was sent, and nobody can track time until every unpaid invoice is paid.

  1. The owner, the Organizer who created the organization, signs in. TimoDesk takes them straight to Invoices. Everyone else, other Organizers included, sees a Workspace suspended page saying the dashboard and time tracking are paused, with a Sign out link.

  2. Click Pay Now on each unpaid invoice and pay by card or account credit.

  3. When no unpaid invoices are left, TimoDesk reactivates the organization automatically and emails the Organizer.

See what happens if an invoice stays unpaid.

A client can't open their invitation

A client invitation link works for 7 days and only once, so an old, used or replaced link shows Page not found.

  • If the client never set a password, an Organizer or Business Manager resends the invitation from the Pending invitations tab on the Clients page. The new link works for another 7 days. The old link stops working, so the client should use the newest email.
  • A revoked invitation stops working right away. Resending it gives the client a new link.
  • If the client already accepted, they sign in at client.timodesk.com/login, not on the team dashboard. The team sign-in page has a Client portal link at the bottom.
  • If TimoDesk says "A client with this email address already exists", the address already belongs to a client, maybe in another organization. Each email can belong to only 1 client in all of TimoDesk.

See how to resend, copy or revoke an invitation and how a client accepts it.

A client sees Access turned off

The organization disabled the client, so they can still sign in but see only an Access turned off page, with the reason if one was given.

Only an Organizer or Business Manager of that organization can turn it back on: choose Enable access in the client's action menu on the Clients page. The client then sees the same projects and screens as before. See how to disable or enable a client.

A client doesn't see a page or a project

The client portal shows only the projects assigned to the client and the screens turned on for them.

  • A missing page: an Organizer or Business Manager turns it on under Portal Access on the client's details page. Screenshots, App usage and Websites & URLs start off for every new client.
  • No board: the Kanban board opens from Projects or Tasks, so the client needs one of those turned on as well.
  • No names or photos: Team members is off for the client.
  • A missing project: assign it to the client from their details page or from the project's Manage Clients button.

Changes apply the next time the client opens a page in the portal. See how to choose what a client can see and why a client can't see some pages.

I have a question about the Partner program

The TimoDesk Partner program has its own account and sign-in at partner.timodesk.com, separate from your organization's dashboard.

For questions about tracking, referrals and commissions, see the Partner program questions. For balance and withdrawals, see the Partner payouts questions. Partners can also open a request under Support > Support Requests in the partner portal. See how to get help from the partner team.

Common questions

Can I edit time the desktop app tracked?

No. Nobody can edit or delete tracked time. To add missing time, send a manual time request if your organization allows it.

Can I delete a screenshot?

No. The dashboard has no option to delete screenshots, for any role.

Can I track time on my phone?

No. There's no mobile app. You track time with the desktop app on Windows, macOS or Linux.

Why don't I see Support in my sidebar?

Only Organizers and Business Managers can send support requests. Team Managers and Staff can ask one of them to send one on their behalf.

Still stuck? An Organizer or Business Manager can send a support request to the TimoDesk team.