Why powerful search matters for time tracking
Search timelines, filter by context, and isolate work slices for fast tagging and reporting.
Find specific work periods in seconds
Instead of scrolling through entire days, search across app, website, document, and tag timelines simultaneously to jump straight to the activity you need.
Tag directly from search results
Once you find the right activity blocks, you can classify them without navigating to a separate screen. Search and tagging work as a single, connected flow.
Clean up untagged time efficiently
Filter for untagged or incompletely classified activity across any time period, then batch-tag from the results — making end-of-week cleanup fast and systematic.
Regex and boolean search operators
Advanced users can build precise filters using regular expressions and boolean operators, making it practical to isolate edge cases that simple keyword search would miss.
How this feature works in 3 simple steps
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Step 1
Install and connect
Install ManicTime and connect your workspace in minutes, without complicated setup.
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Step 2
Automatic activity capture
ManicTime records apps, websites, documents, and activity timelines automatically in the background.
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Step 3
Review, assign, and report
Review captured work, assign time to projects, and generate reports or invoices with confidence.
Search Across Timelines
Search across application, website, document, and tag timelines at once. Instead of scrolling through days, filter directly to the activity you need.
Tag from Search Results
Find activity and tag it in one flow. Select matching entries from search results and apply tags without switching views — useful for cleaning up untagged time or batch-tagging similar activities.
Regex and Boolean Operators
Build precise filters using regular expressions and boolean operators to isolate exactly the activity you are looking for.
Related features
Time Tracking Reports
Create overtime, productivity, application usage, attendance, timesheet, and invoice reports from tracked data.
Learn more
Assign Time to Project or Task
Assign automatically tracked work to clients, projects, and tasks with high accuracy.
Learn more
Automatic Time Tracking
Automatically records apps, websites, and documents without manual timers.
Learn more
Who benefits from this feature?
The biggest impact usually appears across these user groups.
Lawyers
Capture billable hours for client matters accurately with minimal effort and complete audit trails.
Learn more
Accountants
Capture accurate billable hours across client engagements for clean invoicing and audit-ready records.
Learn more
Software Developers
Track coding sessions alongside Git branches, IDEs, and the tools your engineering team already uses.
Learn more
FAQ
Can I search by application name or website?
How do I find all my untagged time?
Can I use regex in search?
Can I tag multiple search results at once?
Does search work across historical data?
Our customer opinions
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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).
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.
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.
Listen now
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.
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!
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.
Find and classify any work period instantly
ManicTime's search tools let you cut through timeline data quickly — so tagging, cleanup, and reporting take less time.