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The timer records work as it happens. You get one timer per workspace, it runs on the server, and stopping it saves a time entry.

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What is the timer?

The timer is the clock button in the top bar. It is on every page inside a workspace, so you can start and stop without losing your place. When nothing is running it shows 00:00:00. When a timer is running it shows the elapsed time and, on wider screens, your description.
The start time lives on the server, not in your browser. Close the tab, reboot, or switch to your phone – the timer keeps running and the elapsed time is still right.

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When to use it

Use the timer when you are about to start work. Use a manual entry when the work is already finished. See Add time manually.

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Start a timer

1

Open the timer

Click the clock button in the top bar. The panel header reads Start a timer.
2

Write a description

The box is labelled Description with the placeholder “What are you working on?”.
3

Attach a project or task

Use the project / task picker below it. Search by project or task name, or choose No project.
4

Check Billable

Picking a project switches Billable on. Clearing the project switches it back off. Set it however the work should be treated.
5

Click Start timer

The panel closes and the top bar shows the running clock.
You can also start a timer from a task’s Start button, or from the ⌘K palette by pressing ⌥ Enter on a project or task.

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Edit a running timer

Everything about a running timer can be changed while it runs. Open the timer panel. The header reads Timer running with a live clock. Use Started at when you forgot to press Start. Set it back to when you actually began and the elapsed time re-anchors.
A start time cannot be in the future. You get “Start can’t be in the future.” inline under the field, and nothing is saved.

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Stop a timer

Open the timer and click Stop timer. The elapsed span is committed as a time entry straight away, and the timer clears. The Stop timer button can be blocked by your workspace policy. Hover it to see why: This only happens when your workspace turns on Require a task or Require a description. See Time policies.

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Discard a timer

If you started the timer by mistake, open it and click Discard. A confirmation asks Discard this timer? with “The time tracked so far will be thrown away and no entry will be saved. This can’t be undone.” Click Discard timer to confirm.
Discarding does not create an entry. The tracked span is gone. Stop the timer instead if you want to keep the time and edit it afterwards.

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Idle detection

If you walk away with the timer running, TimeTracker notices when you come back. When you return to the tab and the gap is longer than your workspace’s idle threshold, a dialog appears:
You were idle for 25 minutes Keep this time on your entry, or discard the idle period.
You have two buttons:
Both choices stop the timer and save an entry. The dialog is the moment the timer ends, not a pause. If you want to carry on, start a new timer afterwards.
The default idle threshold is 10 minutes. An owner or admin changes it in Settings → Time policies. Nothing is ever trimmed without your choice. TimeTracker never shortens an entry on its own.

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The one-timer rule

You can only have one timer running per workspace. If a second start reaches the server it is refused with:
Stop your running timer before starting a new one.
This holds even if you start from two devices at the same time. One wins, the other is told to stop the first.

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Example

Jonas Bergman is fixing a bug on Mobile App for Harbor Logistics.
  1. He clicks Start on the task row. The top bar clock begins.
  2. Twenty minutes in, he realises he started work ten minutes earlier. He opens the timer, expands Additional options, and moves Started at back ten minutes.
  3. He goes to a long meeting without stopping. When he returns, the idle dialog says he was idle for 48 minutes. He clicks Discard idle time.
  4. The timer stops and the entry ends where he last typed. His billable rate of $120/hour is frozen onto the entry.

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Permissions

Owner, Admin, Project Manager, Member and Contractor hold time.track. Finance and Client do not, so no timer appears in their top bar. The Time tracking app must also be on. If your workspace uses location rules, a rule may hold back tracking while you are off-site – see Location rules overview.

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What happens next

The saved entry lands on the day it started, in your workspace timezone. It joins that period’s timesheet as a draft, and you can still edit it until the period is submitted.

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Common questions

No. There is no pause. Stop the timer and start a new one when you come back – that gives you two honest entries instead of one that hides a gap.
The timer keeps running. Stop it when you notice, then edit the entry’s end time on the Time page. Editing time on an entry rebuilds it with the correct duration.
Yes, unless your workspace requires a task. An entry with no project is still recorded, but it never reaches a budget or an invoice.
Yes. When the timer stops, the finished entry is checked against your workspace’s daily limit like any other entry. If it would push you over, the stop is refused and the timer stays running.

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Troubleshooting

How to track time

Every way to record an hour.

Edit a time entry

Fix an entry after the timer stops.

Time policies

Required fields, the idle threshold and rounding.

Troubleshooting

When time will not save.