Why is my activity not recorded when the Desktop Tracker is on?

Identifying the issue

This issue happens when the WebWork Desktop Tracker does not record any activity levels at all. The tracker runs, but activity stays at zero and nothing is detected.

How This Issue Appears to Users When activity detection fails, depending on your settings, WebWork may display a popup asking "Were you working?" every 15 minutes (or at your configured interval). This happens because:

• The tracker is running but cannot detect your keyboard/mouse activity
• With zero activity detected, the system assumes you're inactive
• It prompts you to confirm whether you were actually working during that period

Key indicator: If you're actively typing, clicking, and scrolling but still getting "Were you working?" prompts regularly, this means activity detection has failed - even though you're genuinely working.

This critical piece of information would help users immediately recognize that:

1. The popup is a symptom of failed activity detection
2. They're experiencing the exact issue this article addresses
3. The solution is to fix activity detection (permissions/admin rights), not just dismiss the popups

If you see activity inside the tracker but not in your dashboard, that’s a different case. Please check this article instead: Appearing absent while tracking time on the desktop.

Why This Happens

The most common causes of no activity being recorded are:

• Missing permissions — WebWork Tracker doesn’t have the required system access.
• Outdated versions — either the WebWork app or your operating system.
  
  

Windows: Quick Fix Steps

On Windows, this issue usually comes from either outdated versions or missing admin rights.

Update Software

• Install the latest version of WebWork Tracker.
• Make sure your Windows system is also up to date.

Relaunch as Administrator

• This option appears inside the WebWork tray menu (when you right-click the WebWork icon).
• If available, you can use it directly — WebWork will quit and restart itself with administrator privileges.

If the Relaunch as Administrator option is missing, you need to quit WebWork manually first, then start it again with elevated privileges. You do this by right-clicking either the desktop icon or the Start menu entry and choosing Run as administrator.

Follow the detailed instructions here: Fix Activity Detection Issues on Windows

MacOS: Quick Fix Steps

On macOS, the problem is almost always linked to permissions.

Update Software

• Ensure both WebWork Tracker and macOS are running the latest versions.

Enable Accessibility Permissions

• Go to System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility.
• Confirm that WebWork Tracker is allowed.
• Also check Screen Recording and Automation, since they may affect activity tracking.
  
  
  

Full steps here: Fix Activity Detection Issues on macOS

Further troubleshooting

If completing the above-mentioned steps doesn’t work, you can contact our support to resolve the issue.