Turn on Screen Time to see how long you use your Mac

Why it happens

Screen Time is built into every Mac, but it doesn't record anything until App & Website Activity is switched on. It only counts from that moment, so there's no history from before. After a day of normal use you'll see time per app, per website and per category.

How to fix it

1. Open the Apple menu, choose System Settings, and click Screen Time in the sidebar.

2. Click App & Website Activity, then click Turn On App & Website Activity.

   macOS 26 Tahoe Screen Time›App & Website Activity

   macOS 27 Golden Gate Screen Time›Manage Screen Time›Turn On App & Website Activity

3. Use your Mac as usual. Come back later and click App & Website Activity to see a chart of your time, with the apps and websites you used most listed underneath.

4. You can look at a single day or the whole week. Switch the list from Apps to Categories to see your time grouped as social, games, productivity and so on.

On macOS 27 the button you click first is Manage Screen Time, then Turn On App & Website Activity. On macOS 26 it's App & Website Activity, then the same Turn On button.

Still not fixed?

1. Want your iPhone and iPad time in the same totals? Turn on Share across devices on each one, signed in with the same Apple Account.

   Screen Time›Share across devices

2. To see a child's use, they need their own login on the Mac, or you can pick them from the menu at the top of Screen Time if they're in your Family Sharing group.

3. If the charts stay empty, wait a few hours of normal use. Then check the date and time are set automatically, because a wrong clock can mix up the totals.

   General›Date & Time

4. If the Turn On button is greyed out, your Mac may be managed by a school or company, or someone set a Screen Time passcode. Ask the person who manages it.

5. If Screen Time still records nothing after a day and a restart, contact Apple Support.