What is background mode, and when should I use it?

Background mode hides the desktop app's window once someone clocks in. The app keeps recording exactly what it records normally; the only difference is what is shown on screen. Not every app supports it, so check the list below first.

Which apps support it

The switch is labelled Windows only, and what actually happens depends on which app is installed:

• Windows, downloaded from the website: the window and the taskbar icon both disappear. This is the app the setting was built for.
• Windows, from the Microsoft Store: there is no background mode. The window stays open.
• Mac, from the Mac App Store: the window is hidden after clock-in. This app has no Dock icon to begin with.
• Mac, the older agent for macOS 12 and 13: the window is hidden, but the icon stays in the Dock.
• Linux: not supported. The window stays open.

Wherever it works, Worktivity has to be in the computer's startup apps. Otherwise the app is not running after a restart, and nothing is recorded until somebody opens it.

It cannot be used with task tracking

With the window hidden there is no way to pick a task, so the two settings exclude each other. If task tracking is on for your organization, the background mode switch is disabled and the screen says why.

If you need both, keep task tracking and leave background mode off. Hours are still recorded automatically; people just see the window.

Turning it on

Open Workspace settings, go to the Tracking tab and find Background mode (Windows only) under Modules. The switch is available on some plans only; where it is not included, the row shows a plan badge instead.

The setting applies to the whole organization. For one person it can be changed in that employee's tracking settings on the Employees screen.

Before you turn it on

Whether you may run tracking software invisibly on an employee's computer depends on the law where that person works. In several countries hidden monitoring is restricted or needs explicit consent, and the rules differ from the ones covering visible tracking.

Worktivity shows a warning next to the switch for this reason. The product does not check the law for you, and it cannot. The decision is yours, and it is worth making it with someone who knows the rules where you operate.