Memory is Timely's tool that automatically records everything you do to your own, private timeline. It captures the time you actively spend in files, on apps, browsing websites, your calendar events, attending meetings, and even GPS locations. By capturing everything you do, you get a complete picture of what you work on each day. 🖼️
Below you’ll find everything you need to get Memory for Mac:
Downloading Memory
First things first. If you haven't downloaded Timely, that's the first place to start. You can either go to our website or use this link to download it:
Now that you've downloaded Timely you'll be prompted to install Memory. 🧠
Installing Memory
After downloading Memory, open the .zip file and save the app to your Applications folder. Then, follow these steps and best practices to get up and running in no time at all:
Open your Applications folder
Double-click Memory to open the app
You will find a brain icon in your top menu bar. It'll look like this:
6. Click to log in and you’ll then be routed to Timely in a browser, where you can use
your email address and password, Google or Apple authentication to sign in.
7. Once signed in, make sure the green button in the bottom-right corner is switched
ON to start capturing all of your work automatically. Here's what that looks like:
Pro-Tip ✅
If you want to turn Memory OFF, just toggle the button back to the left. When Memory is OFF, no data is collected or uploaded to Timely. Just be sure to turn it back on when you need to start capturing your work again.
Best Practice 💯
We also think it's a really great idea to have Memory set up to Launch on startup. This way, you won't forget to turn Memory on after restarting your computer. This happens often and we don't want you to lose any valuable activity that could've been logged.
Mojave OS users and above 🚨
Memory works on all versions of macOS from High Sierra upwards. However, for macOS 10.14 Mojave and above, you need to grant Memory accessibility permissions to let it read window titles. Without this permission, it can't automatically capture everything you work on.
After updating to Mojave, you'll get a popup that asks for permission, just click the OK button for Memory to continue working.
If you hit Don't Allow by mistake, no worries! All you need to do is go to System Preferences > Security & Privacy, click Automation and check the unchecked applications under Memory. It looks like this:
To make sure the window titles of your applications are captured by Memory, it's a good idea to check that Memory is selected within Accessibility as well. Have a look here:
Customizing Memory
Enable scheduling 📆
You can schedule Memory to automatically switch ON and OFF for the duration of your working day. This is especially handy if you use your personal computers for work, ensuring that any personal browsing or desktop activity outside of work isn’t recorded. 👏
To get started, open Memory by clicking on the brain icon in the top menu bar. From there, click the Settings gear, select Preferences, then click on the tab that says Advanced. Click Enable scheduling then set the days and times you want Memory to be active. It looks like this:
Idle time detection 🟡
Not all work takes place at the computer. Impromptu meetings and water-cooler conversations can all lead to game-changing decisions. Whenever you step away from your computer, Memory can detect your absence, and draft an entry even for the time you spend offline! 💡
To enable Idle time detection, click the brain icon in the top menu bar. Click the Settings gear, select Preferences, and then click Advanced. You’ll find the tab for Idle time detection. Once that’s enabled, Memory will detect when you’re not actively working and stop capturing activity.
Make sure you’ve enabled notifications for Memory. That way, you'll be prompted to quickly log any idle time, adding an extra layer of accuracy into your timesheets. 🎉
Pause ⏸
If you need to take a break from capturing activity for any reason, you can pause Memory directly from the Settings gear. You can select between 15 mins, 30 mins, 1 hour, or until tomorrow. A quick pause is recommended rather than turning Memory off completely.
FAQs
What are the OS requirements? 🖥️
Memory for Mac supports macOS High Sierra 10.13 and above.
Does Memory for Mac have idle detection? 🟡
You might have noticed that we offer idle detection for Memory for Windows, it's just not yet available for Mac. Until then, just pause or turn Memory OFF, remembering to turn it back ON when you're ready to start working again. 😄
If you’d like to see automatic idle detection on Memory for Mac, send us a feature request! 📩
How do I uninstall Memory for Mac? 🚫
Before you can uninstall Memory from your Mac, you need to log out and quit the application. To log out from Memory, simply open Memory from your status bar, click on the gear icon, and select Preferences. From there, go to Accounts then select Log out from Memory…
To quit the application, open Memory again, click on the gear icon, and press Quit.
After closing Memory, you can open your Applications folder and move Memory to the trash to uninstall.
Note: If you’re unable to find Memory on your computer, search for Memory in Spotlight (Command+Space). Also, make sure you remove the Memory.zip file if it’s still in your Downloads folder.
What do I do if memories aren’t appearing on my timeline? 🤔
Our dedicated article for troubleshooting issues with Memory has all the info you need to get started.
Is my data safe/private? 🔒
Data from Memory is private to you and only you! We take privacy very seriously. Click to read more about what data we capture, how we protect and process your data, and how that data is incorporated into your Timely experience.
Still have questions?
Click the chat icon at the bottom of your screen
or send an email to [email protected]