Auto-Tracker

Toggl Focus FAQs and How-Tos
1

Auto-tracker is a Desktop feature in Toggl Focus that automatically starts and stops time tracking based on which application or window is active on your computer — so you spend less time manually managing your timer.

Getting started

Auto-tracker is disabled by default. To enable it:

  1. Open Toggl Focus and go to Settings
  2. Scroll to the bottom and click Desktop Settings
  3. Click Auto-tracker
  4. Toggle Enable autotracker on. You can then configure all settings below it

Settings

Enable autotracker

All other settings and rules are inactive and cannot be used until this is enabled.

Stop timer when no activity matches rules

When enabled, your timer will automatically stop if you switch to a window that doesn’t match any of your tracking rules. Useful if you want tracking to be strictly rule-bound with no manual cleanup.

Only track after app is active for

Controls how long a window must remain active before Auto-tracker starts recording. The default is 5 seconds.

You can adjust this to suit your working style a longer threshold (e.g. 45 seconds) avoids false starts from quick context switches, while a shorter one gives you near-instant tracking once you’ve settled into a window.

Tracking rules

Tracking rules are the core of Auto-tracker. Each rule defines a window title condition that, when matched, automatically links your active window to a task and starts the timer.

To create a new rule:

  1. Click + Add tracking rule
  2. Under When app or window contains, enter the app name or keyword to match (e.g. Roadmap, Slack)
  3. Under Match using, select either:
    • Exact phrase: the window title must match exactly
    • Any words: the window title only needs to contain the keyword
  4. Under Track as, select or enter the task to track against
  5. Configure the two toggles:
    • Trigger even when a timer is already running: if on, this rule will interrupt an active timer and switch to the matched task
    • Start timer without asking: if on, tracking starts automatically; if off, you’ll be prompted before the timer starts
  6. Click Save

Note: In the current version, tracking rules can only be linked to existing tasks.

How it works in practice

Once your rules are configured, Auto-tracker runs silently in the background:

  • When a matching window becomes active and stays active beyond your threshold, the timer starts automatically for the linked task
  • When you switch to a window matching a different rule, the previous timer stops and the new one begins
  • If Stop timer when no activity matches rules is on and you switch to an unmatched window, the timer stops entirely

Example: You have a rule for "Roadmap" set to “any words.” Opening a Notion page titled Roadmap → Prioritization will trigger the rule and begin tracking after 5 seconds.

Tips

  • Use “any words” matching for tools like Slack or Notion where window titles change frequently but consistently contain a keyword
  • Increase the threshold from the default 5 seconds if you find entries being created from brief tab switches
  • Test rules with a short threshold when first setting up, then increase it once you’ve confirmed the rules are triggering correctly
  • You can have multiple rules active simultaneously. Auto-tracker applies whichever rule matches the current active window
2

Auto-tracker is a Desktop feature in Toggl Focus that automatically starts and stops time tracking based on which application or window is active on your computer.

To enable it, open Toggl Focus, go to Settings, scroll to Desktop Settings, click Auto-tracker, and toggle Enable autotracker on.

Here are the key settings you can configure:

Only track after app is active for - Controls how long a window must stay active before tracking starts. The default is 5 seconds. You can increase this if you’re experiencing false starts from quick context switches, or decrease it for faster tracking.

Stop timer when no activity matches rules - When enabled, your timer stops automatically if you switch to a window that doesn’t match any of your tracking rules.

Tracking rules are the core of Auto-tracker. Each rule matches a window title or app name to a specific task. When you create a rule, you define:

  • The app or keyword to match (e.g. “Slack”, “Roadmap”)
  • Match type: either exact phrase or any words (useful for tools where titles change frequently)
  • Which task to track against
  • Whether the rule should interrupt an already running timer
  • Whether to start tracking automatically or prompt you first

Once configured, Auto-tracker runs in the background. When a matching window becomes active and stays active beyond your threshold, the timer starts for that task. If you switch to a window matching a different rule, the previous timer stops and the new one begins.

A helpful tip: if you’re finding rules trigger too frequently, try increasing the activity threshold beyond the default 5 seconds to avoid tracking brief context switches.