Horaka Desktop for Windows and macOS

Your timer in the Windows notification area and the Mac menu bar: pick a project, start, switch and stop without opening the browser. Horaka Desktop is free, talks only to Horaka and is part of Premium.

1. Download the latest version: for Windows the file ending in setup.exe, for the Mac the .dmg. All versions are on GitHub.
2. Start the app and tap “Sign in with the browser”. Horaka opens and you sign in.
3. Tick only “Trigger” on the page and tap “Allow”. The app needs no more: it starts, switches and stops timers and can read or change nothing else.
4. Back in the app you see your projects. One click starts the timer.

Installing on Windows

Run Horaka.Desktop_…_x64-setup.exe; it installs for your account without administrator rights. The Horaka mark then sits in the notification area at the bottom right (possibly behind the arrow for hidden icons; drag it out so you always see it).

Installing on the Mac

Open the .dmg and drag Horaka Desktop into Applications. As the app does not come from the App Store, macOS blocks the first start: open System Settings, Privacy and Security, scroll down and tap “Open Anyway” next to Horaka Desktop. You only need to do this once. The app appears as a mark in the menu bar at the top right, not in the Dock.

Working with it

• Click the mark to open the window: running timers with their duration, search across client, project and activity, your favourites, recently used and all projects with activities.
• Right-click (Mac: click with the control key held) shows a menu with your favourites to start and “Stop all timers”. You add favourites in Horaka when tracking time.
• Notes: Below the running timer you write down what you are working on at any time. When you stop, the app asks “What did you do?” and saves your summary as the note of the entry (can be turned off in the settings).
• Keyboard shortcuts: Ctrl+Alt+H (Mac: control+option+H) opens and closes the window from anywhere. In the settings you add more: write a note, stop all timers, start or stop a particular project, switch to a project. A notification from your system tells you what a shortcut did.
• The window closes when you click elsewhere, like a menu. Drag it by the header to a fixed place and it stays open there; in the settings you send it back to the mark.
• If you have turned on “Several timers at once” under Settings, Tracking, start a project in addition or switch to it with the arrows.
• In the settings, let Horaka Desktop start with your computer and choose the appearance: like the system, light or dark.

Without a connection the app shows a notice and keeps trying every few seconds. The connection renews itself; under Settings, API and devices you see Horaka Desktop among the connected apps and disconnect it with one click. Access is kept in your computer’s keychain, never in a file.