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Why am I being marked idle while I’m working?

If the tracker keeps stopping and marking you as idle even though you’re actively working, there are a few reasons why that happens. It’s not a bug but the result of how WebWork detects activity and, in some cases, a setup issue that’s easy to fix.

This article covers the most common reasons it happens and what to do in each case. For a general explanation of what idle time is and how the threshold works, see Idle Time.

How WebWork Detects Activity

WebWork can only detect three types of input:

  • Keyboard strokes
  • Mouse clicks
  • Scroll wheel actions

If none of these are detected for longer than the set idle threshold, the tracker treats that period as inactive. This is important to understand because some work activities like reading or discussing produce little or no input signal.

Common Reasons You May Be Marked Idle While Working

You’re reading, listening, or thinking

Activities like reading a document, watching a recorded presentation, attending an audio call, or working through a problem without using the keyboard or mouse will not produce computer activity.

Naturally, from WebWork’s perspective, the device looks inactive, even if you’re fully engaged otherwise.

What to do:

  • When the idle pop-up appears, select “Yes, I was working” to add that time back to your timeline. You can use the slider to specify exactly how long you were working during the idle period.
  • If you know you’re about to do a long stretch of low-input work, pause the tracker manually and restart it when you’re done, then add the time manually if needed.

You’re on a video call (Zoom, Google Meet, Skype)

WebWork suppresses idle detection while you’re in an active video call on Zoom, Google Meet, or Skype, meaning the tracker will not detect inactivity while you are on a video call. If the tracker does stop during a video call, it may mean the call app isn’t being recognized correctly on your device.

What to do:

  • Make sure the video call app is up to date.
  • If the issue continues, submit a support ticket with your OS version and the call app you’re using.

You’re working on a remote desktop

When you work inside a remote desktop or virtual machine (such as Windows Remote Desktop, Citrix, or VMware), your keyboard and mouse input happens inside the remote session. WebWork runs on your local machine and may not detect that input, causing it to register the session as inactive.

What to do:

  • Use the idle pop-up to reclaim the time when it appears by selecting “Yes, I was working.”
  • If your whole team is affected, contact support.

You’re using the Silent Tracker

The Silent Tracker does not show an idle pop-up. When it detects inactivity beyond the set threshold, it stops automatically without asking whether you were working. There is no way to reclaim that time through a pop-up as you would with the Visible Tracker.

What to do:

  • If your work regularly involves low-input tasks, speak with your workspace Owner or Executive Manager about switching to the Visible Tracker, which includes the idle pop-up and lets you add idle time back manually.
  • Alternatively, ask your admin to adjust the idle threshold to a longer interval, giving you more time before the tracker stops.

If You’re Active but Still Being Marked Idle: Check Your System Permissions

If you’re actively typing and clicking but WebWork still shows you as idle, the most likely cause is a system-level permission issue. WebWork needs specific permissions from your OS to detect keyboard and mouse input. If those permissions haven’t been granted, activity won’t register at all.

On Mac

macOS requires WebWork to have Accessibility permission to monitor keyboard and mouse activity. Without it, the tracker cannot detect any input.

Follow the full steps for giving permission here: How to fix activity detection issues on Mac

On Windows

On Windows, activity detection issues are usually caused by missing administrator privileges or an outdated version of the app. Running WebWork as administrator gives it the access it needs to detect input correctly.

Follow the full steps here: How to fix activity detection issues on Windows

Need the Idle Threshold Changed?

The idle threshold (how many minutes of inactivity trigger the idle detection) can only be changed by the workspace Owner or an Executive Manager. If you’re a member and the current threshold doesn’t suit your workflow, you’ll need to ask an admin to adjust it.

Admins can update the setting in Settings > Tracking > Desktop Tracker under “Stop tracker after X minutes of no activity.”

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