Automatic Time Tracking

Workplace Time Tracking

Q: How does ManicTime detect my workplace?

ManicTime checks your IP address against defined rules. If your IP matches a rule, you are assigned to that workplace. Otherwise, you are assigned to the default workplace.

Q: What are workplace rules based on?

Rules are based on IP addresses or CIDR blocks. You can use internal or external IPs in both IPv4 and IPv6 format to identify specific networks, such as an office subnet.

Q: How do I set up workplace tracking?

You can configure workplace rules yourself in ManicTime settings. In team environments using ManicTime Server or Cloud, an administrator can set up rules centrally and they will sync to all clients automatically.

Q: Where can I see workplace data?

Workplace information appears in the Computer Usage timeline on the client. On ManicTime Server and Cloud, the Workplaces report shows office versus remote time summaries for individuals and teams.

ManicTime automatically detects whether you are working from the office or remotely using IP-based rules — so your timesheets and reports reflect not just what you did, but where you worked.

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Why workplace tracking improves reporting

Automatic office vs remote detection

ManicTime checks your IP address against defined rules to determine whether you are in the office or working remotely. Detection happens automatically in the background.

Flexible IP-based rules

Workplace rules are defined using IP addresses or CIDR blocks. Set one location as the default and add rules for the other. On ManicTime Server or Cloud, configuration syncs automatically to all clients.

See where you or your team works

The Workplaces report shows how time is distributed between office and remote work across any date range, broken down day by day — whether you track for yourself or for a team.

Workplace context in the timeline

The detected workplace appears directly in the Computer Usage timeline, giving users immediate visibility into their work location alongside regular activity data.

How this feature works

in 3 simple steps

Install and connect

Install ManicTime and connect your workspace in minutes, without complicated setup.

Automatic activity capture

ManicTime records apps, websites, documents, and activity timelines automatically in the background.

Review, assign, and report

Review captured work, assign time to projects, and generate reports or invoices with confidence.

IP-Based Workplace Detection

ManicTime determines your workplace automatically by checking your current IP address against defined rules. Rules use CIDR notation to match single IPs or entire subnets, supporting both internal and external IP addresses in IPv4 and IPv6. The recommended setup is to designate one workplace as the default and create rules for the other. You can configure rules yourself or, in team setups, have them managed centrally on ManicTime Server or Cloud and synced to all clients automatically.

Real-Time Workplace Display

As you work, ManicTime continuously evaluates your network location and displays the detected workplace in the Computer Usage timeline. When your IP changes — for example, when you connect to the office network or switch to a home connection — the workplace updates automatically. This gives you a clear, real-time view of where your work time is being spent without any manual input.

Workplaces Report

The Workplaces report summarizes how time is split between office and remote work. It shows totals for a selected date range and breaks down the data day by day, making it easy to spot patterns and compare productivity across locations. The report is available on ManicTime Server and Cloud.

Centralized or Individual Setup

Individual users can configure workplace rules directly for their own tracking. In team environments, rules are configured centrally in the Administration section of ManicTime Server or Cloud — settings then sync to all clients automatically, so there is no per-machine setup required. This flexibility makes workplace tracking easy to adopt whether you are a solo user or rolling it out across an organization.

Related features

Automatic Time Tracking

Automatically records apps, websites, and documents without manual timers.

Learn more ->

Privacy Control

Control what ManicTime records, when it records, and what data is shared with your server.

Learn more ->

Idle and Away Time Tracking

Automatically detect inactivity, classify away periods, and include away-time context in reporting.

Learn more ->

Who benefits from this feature?

The biggest impact usually appears across these user groups.

Remote Teams

Give distributed teams shared visibility into work patterns without constant check-ins or status meetings.

View solution ->

IT services & MSPs

Track billable time across multiple client accounts with consistent tagging and shared reporting.

View solution ->

Startups

Give growing teams accurate time data without adding process overhead or complex tooling.

View solution ->

FAQ

Our customer

opinions

Katie

This software automatically tracks the time you spend on your computer. When you step away from your computer for a certain length of time (set by user), it will prompt you to tag that time. For example, if I'm getting coffee and have a 20 minute chat about the weekend, I tag it as personal. But if I have a chat about an upcoming or existing project, I tag it about that project. For the tasks you do on the computer, it can save screenshots every X seconds (again, set by user), so that you can have a reminder when you go to do your billing what each task was for.

Richard

There is a lot to love about Manic Time. It was easy to use and did way more than I was expecting from it. The reporting was informative. The editing was awesome. Tagging and managing the time tracked is robust, yet simple. It is great at taking the tracking out of time tracking. It just does 90% for you. The last 10% is tagging and validating. It really does an amazing job at showing how much time is wasted on mundane tasks or mindless browsing. I handed in my time to a project manager. He asked how I knew I worked 3.28 hours on a specific task. "Manic Time" was my answer.

Dr Steve Day (podcast)

Time tracking and its importance in business operations are discussed in this episode. Dr. Steve Day shares update on their time tracking policies, including the use of new apps and tools such as ManicTime, particularly focusing on the implementation of screenshot tracking.

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Brenda

I do contract work and manage multiple projects where I bounce between projects on an almost by the minute basis. Once tagging is setup I can easily tag all my activities as I do them and my time accumulates in each project bucket. At the end of the day my timesheet is a breeze. This is the best tool I have found so far for a work style that involves heavy duty multi-tasking. I don't know what I would do without ManicTime. Well designed and thought out product.

Mary

I like this application because with manic time we can verify who does their right job. And we also have better control because we can choose the best workers to increase production works very well and without errors.

Gary

Just renewed my licence for another year Just thought I'd let you know that this is one of the best pieces of software I've ever installed on my computer, free or paid for. I run my own business which principally relies on writing technical reports. ManicTime has made it so much easier to track my time over the various projects and therefore manage my fees and costs. (And your support has been excellent when I have had the odd problem).

Oliver

Just wanted to let you know that I think your software has helped me capture $1000's of dollars in revenue that I just wasn't billing before, as I wasn't doing a very good job of tracking my time. With ManicTime I get it all, and if I were ever to be audited by a client, I could give them every detail. Thanks so much!

Judy

The interface is very intuitive and easy to use. The ability to tag and color-code my work allows me to see at a glance how my day has been going. I can organize and structure things as much or as little as I like. What a great product!

Joshua

ManicTime’s ease of use is unmatched, thanks to its intuitive interface and flexible granularity in time-tracking. The power to dive as deep as you need into data with comprehensive tagging and reporting systems is a significant upside. Its vast number of features like document, application, and activity trackers streamline the process of managing and analyzing time efficiently. Moreover, ManicTime’s advanced search capabilities, coupled with the functionality to annotate tagged time, make it a vital tool for enhancing productivity and recalling information during discussions.

Adam

I like that it tracks inactive time on the computer so that you can remember when you started working and when you stopped, and when you took breaks. Very easy to use, I don't have to remember to log in and the app does everything for me without me even doing anything except installing the program. It shows exactly what page and project you were working on and for how long and when.

Amanda

It provides with useful reports which track and monitor the computer usage of employees, as well as the time spent on each computer program or application. Also the presence of an automatic screenshot feature resulted in an increase in my employees’ productivity. It runs automatically on my computer, great.