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 up your account
• How to Use Automatic Timeline — See every app and file you worked on
• How to Use Time Increments — Zoom into your day down to the minute
• How to Use Integrations — Connect your project management tools
• How to Use Project Time Entries — Log hours to projects in seconds
• How to Use Automated Timesheet Reporting — Export reports without manual work
• How to Use Privacy-First Tracking — Keep all data on your device
• How to Use Offline Tracking — Track time without an internet connection
• How to Use Customizable Reports — Build reports in CSV, PDF, or Excel

Time needed: 5 minutes per feature

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

Why Trust This Guide

I’ve used Memtime for over 6 months and tested every feature covered here. This how to use memtime tutorial comes from real hands-on experience — not marketing fluff or vendor screenshots.

Memtime is one of the most powerful automatic time tracking tools available today.

But most users only scratch the surface of what it can do.

This guide shows you how to use every major feature.

Step by step, with screenshots and pro tips.

Memtime Tutorial

This complete Memtime tutorial walks you through every feature step by step, from initial setup to advanced tips that will make you a power user.

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Getting Started with Memtime

Before using any feature, complete this one-time setup.

It takes about 3 minutes.

Let’s walk through each step.

Step 1: Create Your Account

Go to Memtime’s website and click “Start Free Trial.”

Enter your email address and create a password.

You get a 14-day free trial with no credit card needed.

✓ Checkpoint: Check your inbox for a confirmation email.

Step 2: Download the Desktop App

Memtime works on Windows, macOS, and Linux.

Download the installer for your operating system.

On macOS, grant Accessibility and Automation permissions when asked.

Here’s what the dashboard looks like:

✓ Checkpoint: You should see the main Memtime timeline view.

Step 3: Complete Initial Setup

Choose your timeline view in 5 or 6-minute intervals.

Connect your calendar (Google, Outlook, or macOS Calendar).

Memtime starts tracking automatically in the background.

How to Use Memtime Automatic Timeline

Automatic Timeline lets you see every app, file, and browser tab you used during the day.

Here’s how to use it step by step.

Watch Automatic Timeline in action:

Now let’s break down each step.

Step 1: Open Your Timeline

Click the Memtime icon in your system tray or dock.

Your activity timeline shows every program you used today.

Step 2: Review Your Activities

Scroll through the colored blocks to see each app and file.

Click any block to view the exact document or tab title.

Here’s what this looks like:

✓ Checkpoint: You should see colored activity blocks for each program.

Step 3: Navigate Past Days

Use the date picker to go back to any previous day.

Your entire work history stays on your device forever.

How to Use Memtime Time Increments

Time Increments lets you zoom in and out of your timeline for different levels of detail.

Here’s how to use it step by step.

Watch Time Increments in action:

Now let’s break down each step.

Step 1: Open the Zoom Controls

Look for the zoom slider at the top of your timeline view.

You can set increments from 1 minute to 60 minutes.

Step 2: Choose Your Increment Level

For billing work, use 6-minute increments (standard for legal).

For general tracking, 15-minute blocks work best.

Here’s what this looks like:

✓ Checkpoint: Your timeline grid should change to match your chosen increment.

Step 3: Compare Different Views

Switch between increment sizes to find your ideal level of detail.

Smaller increments show more detail, larger ones give a big-picture view.

How to Use Memtime Integrations

Integrations lets you connect Memtime to 50+ project management tools like Jira, Asana, and Xero.

Here’s how to use it step by step.

Watch Integrations in action:

Now let’s break down each step.

Step 1: Open the Integrations Panel

Click the gear icon and select “Integrations” from the menu.

Browse the list of available project management tools.

Step 2: Connect Your Software

Select your tool (Jira, Asana, Monday.com, etc.).

Authorize the connection with your account credentials.

Here’s what this looks like:

✓ Checkpoint: You should see your projects and tasks imported into Memtime.

Step 3: Sync Your Time Entries

Create time entries in Memtime and click “Sync” to push them.

Your logged hours appear in your project management tool instantly.

How to Use Memtime Project Time Entries

Project Time Entries lets you drag activities from your timeline and assign them to projects in seconds.

Here’s how to use it step by step.

Watch Project Time Entries in action:

Now let’s break down each step.

Step 1: Select Activities on Your Timeline

Click and drag across activity blocks on your timeline.

You can select one or multiple activities at once.

Step 2: Assign to a Project

Choose the project or task from the dropdown menu.

Add a comment to describe what you worked on.

✓ Checkpoint: The time entry should appear in your project panel on the left.

Step 3: Review and Confirm

Check the duration matches your actual work time.

Click “Save” to log the entry to your project.

How to Use Memtime Automated Timesheet Reporting

Automated Timesheet Reporting lets you generate ready-made timesheets without filling anything out by hand.

Here’s how to use it step by step.

Watch Automated Timesheet Reporting in action:

Now let’s break down each step.

Step 1: Open the Reports Section

Click “Reports” in the left sidebar menu.

Choose a date range for your timesheet.

Step 2: Configure Your Timesheet

Select which projects to include in the report.

Add filters for specific clients or tags if needed.

✓ Checkpoint: You should see a preview of your timesheet data.

Step 3: Export the Report

Click “Export” and choose CSV, PDF, or Excel format.

Your timesheet downloads instantly to your computer.

How to Use Memtime Privacy-First Tracking

Privacy-First Tracking lets you keep all your activity data stored locally on your device.

Here’s how to use it step by step.

Watch Privacy-First Tracking in action:

Now let’s break down each step.

Step 1: Check Your Privacy Settings

Open Settings and click the “Privacy” tab.

Confirm that local storage is enabled (this is the default).

Step 2: Review What Gets Tracked

See which apps and programs Memtime records on your device.

No data is ever uploaded to the cloud or shared with anyone.

✓ Checkpoint: You should see a confirmation that data is stored locally only.

Step 3: Delete Data If Needed

Click “Erase Data” to remove any activity records you no longer need.

Deleted data is gone permanently — Memtime keeps no cloud backup.

How to Use Memtime Offline Tracking

Offline Tracking lets you record all your computer activity without an internet connection.

Here’s how to use it step by step.

Step 1: Work Offline as Normal

Memtime tracks everything locally — no internet required.

Just keep working and Memtime runs in the background.

Step 2: Check Your Offline Activities

Open your timeline to see all activities captured while offline.

Every app, file, and document is recorded the same as online.

✓ Checkpoint: Your offline work should appear in the timeline with no gaps.

Step 3: Sync When You Reconnect

When you go back online, sync your time entries to connected tools.

All offline hours push to your project management software instantly.

How to Use Memtime Customizable Reports

Customizable Reports lets you build tailored reports in CSV, PDF, or Excel formats.

Here’s how to use it step by step.

Watch Customizable Reports in action:

Now let’s break down each step.

Step 1: Open Report Builder

Go to “Reports” and click “Create Custom Report.”

Choose a date range and select your projects.

Step 2: Add Filters and Columns

Filter by project, tag, client, or time period.

Choose which columns to include in the output.

✓ Checkpoint: Your report preview should show the filtered data.

Step 3: Export in Your Preferred Format

Click “Export” and pick CSV, PDF, or Excel.

The file downloads to your computer ready to share.

Memtime Pro Tips and Shortcuts

After testing Memtime for over 6 months, here are my best tips.

Keyboard Shortcuts

Hidden Features Most People Miss

• Automation Rules: Set rules to auto-assign recurring activities to projects — saves hours of manual sorting every week.
• Calendar Overlay: Connect your calendar to see meetings side by side with your computer activity for a reality check on planned vs actual time.
• Advanced Search: Search your entire activity history to find any document, email, or website from weeks or months ago.

Memtime Common Mistakes to Avoid

Mistake #1: Waiting Until End of Week to Log Time

Mistake #2: Not Setting Up Integrations

Mistake #3: Ignoring the Inactivity Detection

Memtime Troubleshooting

Problem: Memtime Not Tracking Activities on macOS

Cause: macOS requires Accessibility and Automation permissions that may not be granted during installation.

Fix: Go to System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility. Add Memtime to the allowed list and restart the app.

Problem: Integration Not Syncing Time Entries

Cause: Your connected software authorization may have expired or the connection was interrupted.

Fix: Disconnect and reconnect the integration in Settings → Integrations. Re-authorize with your account credentials.

Problem: Timeline Shows Gaps in Activity

Cause: Memtime stops recording when it detects inactivity (no mouse or keyboard input).

Fix: This is normal behavior. Add manual entries for offline activities like phone calls and in-person meetings.

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

What is Memtime?

Memtime is an automatic time tracking tool that records every app, file, email, and browser tab you use throughout the day.

Think of it like a flight recorder for your workday — it captures everything in the background so you can recall any minute later.

Watch this quick overview:

It includes these key features:

• Automatic Timeline: See every program and file you worked on, displayed in a visual timeline.
• Time Increments: Zoom into your day in intervals from 1 to 60 minutes.
• Integrations: Connect to 50+ project management tools like Jira, Asana, and Xero.
• Project Time Entries: Drag activities from your timeline to log hours on projects.
• Automated Timesheet Reporting: Export ready-made timesheets in CSV, PDF, or Excel.
• Privacy-First Tracking: All data stays on your device — never uploaded to any cloud.
• Offline Tracking: Track time without an internet connection.
• Customizable Reports: Build tailored reports filtered by project, client, or tag.

For a full review, see our Memtime review.

Memtime Pricing

Here’s what Memtime costs in 2026:

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

Money-back guarantee: No — but the free trial lets you test everything first.

💰 Best Value: Connect plan — it includes all integrations so you can sync time entries with your project tools.

Memtime vs Alternatives

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

Quick picks:

• Best overall: Memtime — fully automatic tracking with total privacy
• Best budget: Clockify — generous free plan for unlimited users
• Best for beginners: Toggl — clean interface with minimal learning curve
• Best for billing: Harvest — built-in invoicing and payment tracking

🎯 Memtime Alternatives

Looking for Memtime alternatives? Here are the top options:

• 🚀 Time Doctor: Best for remote team monitoring with screenshots, website tracking, and payroll built in. Starts at $6.70/month.
• 💰 Clockify: Best free time tracker with unlimited users. Paid plans start at $5.49/month for advanced features like invoicing.
• 🎨 Toggl: Best for simplicity with a clean one-click timer, calendar view, and Pomodoro technique support. Free for up to 5 users.
• ⚡ TrackingTime: Best for budget teams starting at $3.75/month with project budgets, task management, and team dashboards.
• 🔧 Timeular: Best for hands-on tracking with a physical 8-sided dice tracker device. Now rebranded as EARLY. Starts at $7.50/month.
• 🏢 Harvest: Best for freelancers who need built-in invoicing, expense tracking, and client billing. Free for 1 seat.

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 is fully private with local-only data. Time Doctor is built for employee monitoring with screenshots and URL tracking.
• Memtime vs Clockify: Clockify is free but requires manual timer starts. Memtime tracks everything automatically with zero input from you.
• Memtime vs Toggl: Toggl needs you to start and stop timers. Memtime runs passively and captures every second without any effort.
• Memtime vs TrackingTime: TrackingTime is cheaper but lacks automatic background tracking. Memtime captures every app and file without manual input.
• Memtime vs Timeular: Timeular uses a physical dice tracker and cloud storage. Memtime is software-only with all data stored locally on your device.
• Memtime vs Harvest: Harvest includes invoicing and payments. Memtime focuses on automatic tracking accuracy and privacy. Choose based on your priority.

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

Next step: Pick one feature and try it now.

Most people start with Automatic Timeline.

It takes less than 5 minutes.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between Memtime and Timely?

Memtime stores all activity data locally on your device for total privacy. Timely stores data in the cloud. Memtime focuses on desktop tracking with 50+ integrations. Timely includes AI-powered memory features and a web-based dashboard.

How does Memtime work?

Memtime runs in the background on your desktop. It records every app, file, email, and browser tab you open. At the end of the day, you review your timeline and drag activities to create time entries for your projects.

Is Memtime free?

Memtime offers a 14-day free trial with full access to all features. After the trial, paid plans start at $11/user/month for the Basic plan. No credit card is required to start the trial.

Which is the best software for project hours tracking?

It depends on your needs. Memtime is best for automatic, private tracking. Clockify is best if you want a free option. Harvest is best if you need built-in invoicing. Toggl is best for teams that prefer simple manual timers.

What is the best app for tracking hours?

Memtime is the best app for automatic hour tracking without manual input. It records everything in the background and lets you assign time to projects later. For manual tracking, Toggl and Clockify are popular picks.