User Guide
Deski is a local-first desktop time tracker. It quietly notices when you're active at your computer and turns that into time blocks, charts and tags — and your activity data stays on your device.
Privacy & your data
Deski is built so that tracking never becomes surveillance:
- Keyboard = a count only. Deski records that a key was pressed and when, as a running tally. It never records which keys you press.
- Mouse = activity only, no location. Clicks and movement are logged as events in time — never the pointer's position on screen.
- Everything is stored locally in a single SQLite database file on your computer. Your activity is never uploaded anywhere.
- Clearing really clears. Cleared data is securely wiped and the database compacted, so it's genuinely gone from disk.
Mouse tracking is on by default; keyboard tracking is off by default. Both are toggles in Settings.
The window
- Move it by dragging the top bar; minimize / maximize / close from the top-right corner.
- The window auto-fits your screen height, including high-DPI and multi-monitor setups.
- A left sidebar switches between Stopwatch (Timer), Insights, and Settings (the gear). It can auto-hide.
- The footer shows "Local only" — a reminder of where your data lives — and your subscription status on the right.
Timer page
Auto vs Manual mode
- Auto — press Start to begin watching. A time block opens by itself when Deski sees activity and closes after a period of inactivity (the idle gap). Press Stop to end the block manually.
- Manual — a plain stopwatch: Start opens a block, Stop saves it.
You can't switch modes while tracking — stop first. The big circle shows elapsed time and a status pill (Idle, Tracking or In Progress).
Today's Sessions
- Rename a block — click its title and type.
- Tag it — up to 3 color-coded tags per block.
- Delete it — the trash icon.
- Each card shows the block's clicks · moves · keys counts.
Total Today sums today's tracked time. Clear all on this page clears today's blocks (with confirmation).
Insights page
Daily Activity chart
Pick a chart type (Heatmap or Bar) and granularity (by hour / day / month) — including a GitHub-style contribution calendar and a weekday×hour punch card.
Efficiency Score
A ring showing Focus ÷ Span for today: focus is your total tracked time, span runs from your first to your last activity. It measures continuity, not the quality of your work — treat it as "how steadily was I active today."
Recent Activity
Drill down through your history: day → hour → individual blocks, with breadcrumbs. Clear all here removes everything, behind a confirmation.
Settings
- Track — mouse (default on) and keyboard-count (default off) toggles.
- Timing — the Auto-mode idle gap, from 10 seconds to 5 minutes.
- Appearance — 8 light/dark themes.
- Week — choose your start of week for the weekday charts.
- Date format — presets or a custom pattern with live preview:
| Token | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
D / DD | Day | 5 / 05 |
M / MM | Month number | 6 / 06 |
MMM / MMMM | Month name | Jun / June |
YY / YYYY | Year | 26 / 2026 |
ddd / dddd | Weekday | Sat / Saturday |
- Sidebar — auto-hide the icon rail.
- Tags — create, color and delete tags.
- Account — sign in with the email you used at checkout to activate your trial or subscription; your status shows in the bottom-right of the app.
Tags
- Create tags in Settings → Tags: a name (emojis welcome, e.g. 📚 Study) plus a color.
- Apply up to 3 tags per block from its card.
- Deleting a tag from your library removes it from any blocks using it.
Clearing your data
- Delete a single block — the trash icon on its card.
- Clear all (Timer page) — today's blocks.
- Clear all (Insights page) — all history.
⚠️ Deletions cannot be undone. Deski keeps your data local with no cloud backup, so cleared data can't be recovered — it's securely wiped from disk.
FAQ
Where is my data stored?
In a single SQLite database in Deski's application-data folder on your computer. Your activity never leaves your device.
Does Deski record what I type?
No. Keyboard tracking is a count of key presses only — the actual keys are never captured.
Does Deski know where my mouse is?
No. It records that clicks and movements happened and when, never the on-screen position.
Why didn't a block appear in Auto mode?
A block opens only once activity is detected after you press Start, and closes after the idle gap. Check that mouse and/or keyboard tracking is enabled in Settings.
How does the subscription work?
New users get a 30-day free trial of the full app, no card required. After that, Deski Pro is $5/month — see Pricing. Only your subscription status is checked online; your tracking data always stays local.