Productivity · Windows 10 and 11
Screen time for your Windows PC
Turn it on once and Octoolo notes which app is in front, second by second, while it runs. The day view shows how long you used the PC, your most used app, when you started and stopped, an hour-by-hour chart and every app with its time. Time nobody was at the PC is left out, and all of it stays on this computer.
How to see screen time on your PC
- 1
Turn it on
Open Octoolo's Productivity app and pick Screen time under Your PC. Tick Also keep window titles, to see sites and documents if you want that, and press Turn on screen time.
- 2
Use your PC
Octoolo records while it runs, also in the corner of the taskbar with its window closed. To record from the moment you sign in, let it start with Windows.
- 3
Read your day
Day shows the time used and how it compares with the day before, the most used app, first and last use, an hour-by-hour chart, time by kind of use and every app with its icon and time. The arrows move to earlier days.
- 4
Sort your apps
Click an app to change what it Counts as, see its sites or documents (with window titles on), or choose Don't record it.
- 5
See the week
Week shows the time day by day, a day's average and the most used apps. The pencil opens the settings.
What counts as using the PC
Screen time should measure you, not a PC left on. So Octoolo stops counting when nobody has touched the keyboard or mouse for 5 minutes, or 2, 3, 10, 15 or 30 if you change Away after. The lock screen counts as away.
Two exceptions keep films and games in: time still counts while a video plays in a browser or a player (the app keeps the screen awake), and while something fills the screen. The day view shows that part as watching or playing without typing.
Because Octoolo only knows you were there once the away time has passed, the last few minutes appear a little later. Before you turn screen time on, and while Octoolo is not running, nothing is recorded.
Kinds of use
Every app counts as one of eight kinds, which color the hour-by-hour chart:
| Kind | For example |
|---|---|
| Work and study | Office apps, PDF readers, email |
| Browsing | Web browsers |
| Social and chat | Discord, WhatsApp, Teams, Zoom |
| Entertainment | Video and music players |
| Games | Game launchers, and games in folders such as Steam or Epic Games |
| Creative | Photo, video and design tools |
| Development | Code editors and terminals |
| Other | Anything else |
If an app lands in the wrong kind, click it and change Counts as; Octoolo remembers your choice.
When this PC was on
Below the day, When this PC was on shows the last 7 days as bars, read from Windows' own records of starting, sleeping, waking and shutting down. It works even before you turn screen time on, and it includes time nobody used the PC: handy for spotting a computer that never goes to sleep, or one that was switched on at night. Pair it with the shutdown timer to put a PC to sleep when nobody is using it.
Private by design
- Kept on this PC. The history is stored in Octoolo's data folder and is never sent anywhere.
- No titles unless you ask. Which sites and documents you had open is only kept if you turn on window titles; they are off at first.
- You choose how long. Keep history for 30 days, 90 days (the default), a year or always. Delete history clears it, and Turn screen time off stops it.
- Leave apps out. Don't record it stops recording one app from then on.
Screen time shows where the time went; it does not block sites or apps and has no time limits. For focus, try the Pomodoro timer.
Questions, answered
Does it record what I type or take screenshots?
No. It notes which app is in front and when the keyboard or mouse was last used, and, only if you turn it on, the window's title.
Can it limit time or block apps?
No. It shows how the PC is used; it has no limits and blocks nothing.
Does it count while Octoolo's window is closed?
Yes, as long as Octoolo runs in the corner of the taskbar. If you quit Octoolo, nothing is recorded until it runs again.
Does watching a film count, even if I do not touch the mouse?
Yes, while the player keeps the screen awake or the film fills the screen. It shows as watching or playing without typing.
How do I delete my screen time history?
Open the settings with the pencil and press Delete history.
Is anything sent online?
No. Screen time is kept only on this PC.
Screen time, and 16 more apps.
Download for Windows7 days free, then from $3.99 a month for all 17 apps. Windows 10 and 11.