The live timer
Start, stop, and edit a running timer from the top bar. Learn the 5-minute and 8-hour rules, pinned timers, and how a running timer survives a refresh.
The live timer lives in the top bar on every page, so you can start tracking the moment you begin work. It counts in real time and saves the entry when you stop.
- Role
- OwnerAdminManagerMember
Anyone can run a timer for their own work, including Members.
Start a timer
Click play
When nothing is running, the top bar shows a No timer pill with a green play button. Click it.
Pick a project
A searchable project picker opens. Start typing to filter, then choose the project you're working on.
Pick a task (optional)
If the project has tasks, you'll see a task step next. Choose one, or click Start without a task to track against the project alone.
The pill now shows the project (and task, if you picked one), a live H:MM:SS clock, and an amber Stop button. The running time also appears in your browser tab title, so you can see it from another tab.
You can edit the note on a running timer without stopping it. Just update the note while the clock keeps ticking.
Stop a timer
Click the amber Stop button. The entry is saved against the project (and task), priced at the project's rate, and marked billable by default. It appears immediately on your timesheet.
Timer limits
Hoursmith has two guardrails so a forgotten timer doesn't wreck your numbers:
- Under 5 minutes — discarded. If you stop a timer before it reaches 5 minutes, the entry is never recorded. This protects you from accidental starts.
- Past 8 hours — warning. Once a timer passes 8 hours, the pill turns red with a warning.
When you stop it, Hoursmith offers three choices:
- Keep the full duration,
- Trim it (cap at 8 hours), or
- Discard it entirely.
A timer under 5 minutes is gone for good when you stop it — nothing is saved. If you really did work a few minutes, log it manually instead.
Pinned timers
Pin the projects you track most for one-tap starting.
- Star up to 5 project (or project + task) combinations.
- Each pin starts that timer in a single tap, skipping the picker.
- If a pinned project or task is later archived or deleted, the pin is dropped silently.
A running timer follows you
Your running timer is read from the server on every load, so it's not tied to one browser tab. It reappears after a refresh, and it shows up when you sign in on another device — pick up exactly where you left off.
What happens next
Stopped entries go onto your timesheet, ready to edit or pull into an invoice. Billable, un-invoiced time is what an invoice draws from.
Troubleshooting
- My short timer vanished. Anything stopped under 5 minutes is discarded by design. Log it by hand if you need to keep it.
- The pill turned red. Your timer has passed 8 hours. Stop it and choose keep, trim, or discard.
- A pinned timer disappeared. Its project or task was archived or deleted. Pin a current target instead.
- My timer didn't start while offline. It's queued locally and replays when you reconnect. See Mobile & offline.
Time tracking overview
Track time with a live timer or log it by hand. Entries roll up on your timesheet, split by billable status, and feed straight into invoices.
The one-timer rule
You only ever have one timer running at a time. Starting a new timer automatically stops the one already running for you.