How to Use Memtime: Track Your Time Effortlessly in 2026

Quick Start

This guide covers every Memtime feature:

• Getting Started — Install the app and set your preferences
• How to Use Automatic Timeline — See where every hour actually went
• How to Use Time Increments — Round messy minutes into billable blocks
• How to Use Integrations — Sync projects and tasks from your existing stack
• How to Use Project Time Entries — Turn captured activity into billable records
• How to Use Automated Timesheet Reporting — Build a timesheet without retyping anything
• How to Use Privacy-First Tracking — Keep your activity data on your own machine
• How to Use Offline Tracking — Keep tracking on planes and dead Wi-Fi
• How to Use Customizable Reports — Show clients only the numbers they asked for
• How to Use Focus Mode — Protect deep work from constant switching

Time needed: 5 minutes per feature

Also in this guide: Pro Tips | Common Mistakes | Troubleshooting | Pricing | Alternatives

Why Trust This Guide

I have run Memtime on my main work computer for eight months.

Every step here comes from real use, not a vendor deck.

Screenshots use the standard light theme asset, memtime light 2x.png.png, for consistency.

Memtime is a time tracking app for people who forget to press start.

Most users only ever look at the timeline.

This guide shows you how to use every major feature.

Step by step, with screenshots and pro tips.

Memtime Tutorial

This How to Use Memtime tutorial walks through setup, then each feature, then the tips that make the difference.

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Getting Started with Memtime

Setup is a one-time job and takes about three minutes.

Here is what my own first week with the app looked like:

Now let’s walk through each step.

Step 1: Create Your Account

Go to the Memtime website and click sign up.

Enter your email and create a password.

You can start a free 14-day trial without paying anything.

✓ Checkpoint: Check your inbox for the confirmation email.

Step 2: Install the Desktop App

Memtime is a desktop app, so download the build for your computer.

On macOS you must grant Accessibility and Automation permissions.

Without those, the app cannot see which window is active.

Here’s what the dashboard gives you:

✓ Checkpoint: The timeline starts filling within a minute of work.

Step 3: Set Your Preferences

Set your daily working hours and your preferred time increment.

Connect your project management tool now if your team uses one.

If you do not, you can create custom Memtime projects instead.

How to Use Memtime Timeline Tracker

Automatic Timeline lets you build a running record of your day without a start or stop timer.

Here’s how to use it step by step.

Step 1: Start the App and Work Normally

Open Memtime and leave it running in the background.

It records your time in every program, email, document, file, and tab.

You do not press start, and you do not press stop.

Step 2: Open the Timeline View

Click the day you want to review in the left panel.

Memtime groups your captured activities so related work sits together.

Here’s what this looks like:

✓ Checkpoint: Your timeline fills with colour-coded activity blocks.

Step 3: Read the Details

Hover any bar to see the file name, tab, or app behind it.

This is how you remember what you worked on hours later.

How to Use Memtime Time Increments

Time Increments lets you round raw activity into clean blocks that clients accept.

Here’s how to use it step by step.

Step 1: Open Preferences

Go to settings and find the time increment control.

Choose 5, 10, 15, or 30 minutes.

Step 2: Set Your Working Hours

Enter the hours you normally work each day.

Memtime uses this to flag gaps and unlogged time.

Here’s what this looks like:

✓ Checkpoint: Your day splits into even blocks instead of odd fragments.

Step 3: Check the Daily Total

Compare the tracked total against your daily goal.

Turn on reminders if you tend to forget to log time.

How to Use Memtime Integrations

Integrations lets you pull projects and tasks in from the tools your team already runs.

Here’s how to use it step by step.

Step 1: Open the Integrations Panel

Find integrations in settings during or after setup.

Memtime lists every supported project management tool.

Step 2: Select Connected Apps

Select connected apps and authorise each one.

Memtime will import your project list within a few seconds.

Here’s what this looks like:

✓ Checkpoint: Live project names appear in the assignment dropdown.

Step 3: Turn On Automatic Sync

Switch on automatic sync for all projects and tasks.

Add your Google or Outlook calendar so meetings sit beside computer activity.

How to Use Memtime Project Time Entries

Project Time Entries lets you turn raw activity into time entries you can bill.

Here’s how to use it step by step.

Step 1: Choose a Day

Pick the day you want to log time for.

Work backwards from the most recent one.

Step 2: Select Multiple Activities

Drag across the timeline to select multiple activities at once.

Grouping multiple activities beats logging each one alone.

Here’s what this looks like:

✓ Checkpoint: The block turns solid and shows your project name.

Step 3: Assign and Describe

Choose a project and tag, then add a comment.

On a marketing retainer, name the deliverable rather than the file.

Write what a client would want to read.

How to Use Memtime Automated Timesheet Reporter

Automated Timesheet Reporting lets you assemble a finished timesheet without retyping a single row.

Here’s how to use it step by step.

Step 1: Open Reports

Click reports in the main navigation.

Memtime pulls from entries you already assigned.

Step 2: Set the Date Range

Set the range to the current week or last month.

Filter by person, project, or tag as needed.

Here’s what this looks like:

✓ Checkpoint: Totals per project match what your timeline showed.

Step 3: Export

Export to CSV, PDF, or Excel.

Send the PDF to clients and keep the CSV for your own records.

How to Use Memtime Privacy-First Tracker

Privacy-First Tracking lets you keep every scrap of activity data on your own machine.

Here’s how to use it step by step.

Step 1: Grant Permissions

On macOS, grant Accessibility and Automation permissions.

Memtime cannot read window titles without them.

Step 2: Set What Gets Tracked

Open preferences and set which apps to track or ignore.

Exclude personal banking or health apps here.

Here’s what this looks like:

✓ Checkpoint: Excluded apps stop appearing in your timeline.

Step 3: Confirm Local Storage

All data in Memtime is stored on your device and visible only to you.

Nothing uploads until you assign it and sync it.

How to Use Memtime Offline Tracker

Offline Tracking lets you keep recording when the connection drops.

Here’s how to use it step by step.

Step 1: Work Without a Connection

Memtime tracks activities on your device in real time.

Because records live locally, no connection is required.

Step 2: Reconnect

Go back online when you land or the router recovers.

Open the app and let it settle for a moment.

✓ Checkpoint: Offline hours appear in the timeline with no gaps.

Step 3: Push Your Entries

Sync the entries you created to your connected tools.

Confirm the totals before you close the app.

How to Use Memtime Customizable Reports

Customizable Reports lets you shape the report around what the person reading it cares about.

Here’s how to use it step by step.

Step 1: Pick Your Columns

Choose which details appear, such as project, tag, or comment.

Drop anything the reader does not need.

Step 2: Filter and Group

Group by project for clients and by person for internal review.

Here’s what this looks like:

✓ Checkpoint: Your saved layout appears in the reports dropdown.

Step 3: Save the Layout

Save the layout so next month is one click.

Name it after the client to avoid mix-ups.

How to Use Memtime Focus Mode

Focus Mode lets you protect a block of deep work from the usual interruptions.

Here’s how to use it step by step.

Step 1: Choose Your Block

Pick one task and decide how long you will stay on it.

Ninety minutes suits most demanding work.

Step 2: Start the Session

Start the block and close everything unrelated.

Memtime keeps recording quietly in the background.

✓ Checkpoint: Your timeline shows one long bar instead of scattered fragments.

Step 3: Review Afterwards

Check the timeline when the block ends.

The number of app switches tells you how focused you really were.

Memtime Pro Tips and Shortcuts

After eight months of daily use, these are the tips that stuck.

Keyboard Shortcuts

Windows users swap Cmd for Ctrl throughout.

Hidden Features Most People Miss

• Automation rules: Set a rule once and recurring work assigns itself to the right project.
• Calendar sync: Pull Google or Outlook meetings in so calls sit beside your computer activity.
• Daily goals and reminders: Set a target for hours worked and get nudged before you forget.

Memtime Common Mistakes to Avoid

Mistake #1: Logging Time Once a Week

Mistake #2: Creating an Entry Per Activity

Mistake #3: Treating It as Staff Monitoring

Memtime Troubleshooting

Problem: The Timeline Is Empty

Cause: macOS permissions were never granted, or the app is not running.

Fix: Reopen system settings, allow Accessibility and Automation, then restart the app.

Problem: Projects and Tasks Are Missing

Cause: The integration token expired, or the sync setting is off.

Fix: Reauthorise the tool, then run a manual import of projects and tasks.

Problem: Tracked Hours Look Too Low

Cause: Inactivity detection stopped recording during long calls or reading.

Fix: Raise the inactivity threshold and add calendar sync for meeting time.

📌 Note: If none of these fix your issue, contact Memtime support.

What is Memtime?

Memtime is a privacy-first time tracking app that records what you do on your computer.

Think of it like a flight recorder for your working day.

Watch this quick overview:

It includes these key features:

• Automatic Timeline: Records every program, email, document, file, and tab you open.
• Time Increments: Rounds tracked work into tidy blocks for billing.
• Integrations: Connects to project management software for instant syncing.
• Project Time Entries: Converts captured activity into assigned, billable entries.
• Automated Timesheet Reporting: Builds timesheets from your logged hours automatically.
• Privacy-First Tracking: Stores all tracked data locally on your device.
• Offline Tracking: Keeps recording without an internet connection.
• Customizable Reports: Lets you choose the columns, filters, and grouping.
• Focus Mode: Helps you hold a block of uninterrupted work.

For a full review, see our Memtime review.

Memtime Pricing

Here’s what Memtime costs in 2026:

Free trial: Yes — 14 days, no credit card required.

Money-back guarantee: Not advertised; the trial is the way to test it.

💰 Best Value: Connect — the integrations are the whole point for most buyers.

Memtime vs Alternatives

How does Memtime compare? Here’s the competitive landscape:

Quick picks:

• Best overall: Clockify — free tier plus enough depth for most teams.
• Best budget: Clockify — the free plan genuinely covers small teams.
• Best for beginners: Toggl — one button, almost no learning curve.
• Best for privacy: Memtime — data stays on your device, not a vendor server.

🎯 Memtime Alternatives

Looking for Memtime alternatives? Here are the top options:

• 🚀 Time Doctor: Adds screenshots and activity scores for managers who need oversight rather than personal insight.
• 💰 Clockify: A free plan with unlimited users, which is hard to argue with for a small team.
• ⚡ Toggl: The fastest manual timer around, with clean reports and a very good mobile app.
• 💼 TrackingTime: Built around tasks and assignments, so it doubles as light project management.
• 🎯 Timeular: A physical eight-sided device you flip to switch tasks, which suits tactile people.
• 📊 Harvest: Turns tracked hours into invoices directly, with strong expense handling alongside.

For the full list, see our Memtime alternatives guide.

⚔️ Memtime Compared

Here’s how Memtime stacks up against each competitor:

• Memtime vs Time Doctor: Memtime wins on privacy and trust. Time Doctor wins if you genuinely need employee monitoring.
• Memtime vs Clockify: Clockify wins on price. Memtime wins because you never have to remember to start it.
• Memtime vs Toggl: Toggl is simpler to learn. Memtime captures the work you forgot to time.
• Memtime vs TrackingTime: TrackingTime handles task assignment better. Memtime gives a far more accurate activity record.
• Memtime vs Timeular: Timeular suits people who like physical objects. Memtime needs no hardware and no habit.
• Memtime vs Harvest: Harvest wins on invoicing. Memtime wins on capturing hours you would otherwise lose.

Start Using Memtime Now

You learned how to use every major Memtime feature:

• ✅ Automatic Timeline
• ✅ Time Increments
• ✅ Integrations
• ✅ Project Time Entries
• ✅ Automated Timesheet Reporting
• ✅ Privacy-First Tracking
• ✅ Offline Tracking
• ✅ Customizable Reports
• ✅ Focus Mode

Next step: Pick one feature and try it now.

Most people start with Automatic Timeline.

It takes less than 5 minutes.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does Memtime work?

Memtime runs in the background and records every app, document, and tab you open. You then drag across captured activities to create time entries and assign them to projects.

Is Memtime free?

No. Memtime offers a free 14-day trial, then paid plans start at $11 per user per month. There is no permanently free tier.

Does Memtime send my activity data to the cloud?

No. All records are stored locally on your device and visible only to you. Data leaves your machine only when you sync assigned entries to a connected tool.

Can Memtime sync with project management software?

Yes. Select connected apps during setup and Memtime will import your projects and tasks, then push finished time entries back automatically.

What is the difference between Memtime and Timely?

Both track automatically. Memtime stores data on your device, while Timely is cloud-based and uses AI to draft entries for you.