Help · The app
When something looks wrong
This list is short on purpose. These are the things that genuinely happen, and most have a one line answer.
macOS will not open it
It is a direct download rather than an App Store app, so Gatekeeper mentions it once. The app is signed and notarized, so right click then Open clears it, and you will not be asked again. If it still refuses, the download was probably truncated: fetch it again.
The timer shortcut does nothing
Another app has claimed the combination, or owntime is not running. Everything the global shortcut does is also in the menu bar.
An import skipped rows
The skip reasons name the row and the cause, usually an unparseable date or a zero hours cell. Fix those lines in the CSV and import again. Exact duplicates are skipped, so re-running a corrected file will not double anything up.
The email test failed
- An authentication error usually means you typed your login password where an app password belongs. Gmail, Fastmail and iCloud all need a generated one.
- A 5.7.x error from a Microsoft mailbox means SMTP AUTH is off for that account and an admin has to enable it.
- A connection timeout usually means the wrong port for the security mode. 587 goes with STARTTLS, 465 with SSL/TLS.
Xero rejected the import
Xero tells you which column it disliked. It is almost always the account code, which has to exist in your chart of accounts, or the tax type, which has to match your org’s exact wording. Both are in Settings.
The timeline says permission denied
macOS calls reading a window title Screen Recording, and it asks before granting it. The app has a button that opens the right settings pane. Timeline is off by default, so nothing is lost by leaving it off.
Two machines, and one looks out of date
One writer at a time. If both were open, the older session may have written last. Each machine keeps its own twenty local backups, so the version you wanted is usually still restorable.
The CLI says the app is not running
It is not. Open owntime first, then run the command. The script only talks to a running app.
A restore went the wrong way
Restores replace the file, so restore the other one. If you backed up immediately before restoring, as the restore page suggests, the state you left is still there.
Still stuck
Email contact@owntime.click. One person reads it, usually the same day. Include your macOS version, what you clicked, and the exact text of any error toast. If it is a data question, mention which view you were on. Please do not send your SMTP password or bucket keys in the email.
Also useful: restoring a backup · email alerts · Xero export