How to troubleshoot our desktop app and time tracker

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Try this first!

If you get an error message related to the Upwork Desktop App, or your time tracker doesn't work, you can often resolve it by simply quitting the app and then reopening it. This will force the app to load any updates from our side.

Important — Don’t Try This

Do NOT press the Clear cache and restart button in the app preferences unless instructed by Upwork Support. This reset option will wipe your app’s user data and restore the app to default settings. You will lose all preferences, user settings, saved credentials, and any un-uploaded time cache. You can’t undo this action. Afterward, it will be like you are logging in for the first time.

I tried to download the Upwork Desktop App and it failed. What should I do?

Here are the most common reasons for a failed download and how you can fix each:

Firewall or proxy server issue – Contact your system administrator to allow access
Poor internet connection – It is important to make sure you have a strong and stable internet connection before you download
No administrator privileges – Check to see if you are the administrator of your computer and that you have enough space on your computer to download the application
Inaccurate time/date settings – Check to make sure the time and date settings on your computer are correct
Antivirus software is blocking the application – You can temporarily disable your antivirus program for just the time it takes to download, to avoid disruption. It may become necessary to add the desktop app to your antivirus whitelist

I'm unable to log into the desktop app and time tracker. What should I do?

If you are having trouble logging on to the Upwork Desktop App, it could be a problem with the Sign in with Google feature. Try the following solution.

Disable authorization via Google. Go to Profile Settings → Connected services → [Sign in with Google] → Disconnecting, then reattempt login via the desktop app.
Next, log in to your desktop app using your username only.

If the issue still persists, please contact us.

I'm only seeing messages in the desktop app, not the time tracker. What should I do?

If you have both a freelancer and client account, make sure that you are logged out of your client account on Upwork.com. You will not be able to access the time tracker or contracts if you are logged into your client account.

Go to App settings (right-click on the tray icon) Settings → Sign out
Quit the app
Go to Upwork.com in your browser (not the app) and switch to your freelancer profile
Reopen the app
Select Log in to Upwork
Choose Open Upwork when prompted. The time tracker should appear

Be sure to restart the app after making changes.

I'm unable to track time with the time tracker. What should I do?

For instructions on how to log time with the Upwork Desktop App see here.

If you are unable to log time on an hourly contract listed in the app, please close the app and log in to your Upwork account from your internet browser (not the app). Then, clear your cookies by going here and restart the app. If the issue persists please report the problem.

I can't find my contract listed in the desktop app and time tracker. What should I do?

By default, only active, hourly contracts will appear in your list for time-tracking purposes. If you don’t see it listed, check your contract’s status.

You will not see a contract in your list in the following cases:

The contract hasn’t started yet. If the start date is in the future, it will activate that day at UTC 00:00 (not your local time)
The contract has ended
The contract is paused for any reason
The client is suspended or restricted, which may also automatically pause the contract
The contract is a fixed-price contract, and you haven’t activated fixed-price tracking

If the contract is active but still isn’t available in the app, it most likely recently changed status. You can force a refresh of your contract list by selecting the refresh icon in the desktop app.

How do I turn on time tracking for fixed-price contracts?

In the app menu (the gear icon), choose Settings
Select Advanced
Turn on Track Time on Fixed-Price Projects

Important: Time logged on fixed-price contracts is for tracking purposes only and will not be counted towards your total work hours displayed on your profile.

My time tracker is missing hours I worked or showing as offline. Why?

The desktop app has a time-caching mode so you can continue logging time through minor internet connection issues or Upwork site maintenance. Usually, the cache will automatically upload as soon as your connection is reestablished so the time can be included in your weekly invoices. The latest version of the desktop app can cache 24 hours at a time. Once it is full, you can no longer log time on any contract until the cache is uploaded. The most common causes of time-caching mode are:

Upwork maintenance – Upwork undergoes periodic, and usually brief, downtime for maintenance. During this time, you can continue to work and your logged time will be held in the cache. It should reconnect and upload the cache within an hour
Unstable internet connection – The desktop app, especially when trying to upload logged time, requires a stable internet connection. It should reconnect and upload the cache automatically as soon as the connection stabilizes, usually within a few minutes

Warning:

Although it's available as a backup, we strongly recommend you avoid caching mode as much as possible. If you do work in caching mode:

Do not log time from another computer while you have a cache awaiting upload. This will prevent the cached time from uploading
You must reconnect before the end of the weekly billing cycle to upload your cached time. It can’t be uploaded after the Work Diary is locked. If the cache fails to upload automatically, you cannot recover it manually

How do I upload cached time?

Once you have a stable internet connection, the cached time will upload automatically. You will know the cache is uploading when the desktop app status says Online and uploading. It will change to Online when the cached time has been completely uploaded to the server.

If you have an ongoing connectivity problem, the app will appear stuck in caching mode and fail to upload your time. The most common reasons for this are:

Poor internet connection
TLS (required security protocols) disabled in your Windows internet settings

The default time zone from the time tracker is UTC. If you believe you are missing hours after any cached time has been uploaded to the server please first check your work diary where you can update the view to your own time zone.

My client changed my weekly hour limit, but it's not showing in time tracker. Why?

If the weekly hours limit is increased on a contract, it can take up to 24 hours for the update to reflect in the Upwork Desktop App. You can continue logging hours as long as it's within the updated weekly limit and the app will auto-update within 24 hours. If the weekly hours limit is decreased it won't take effect until the next working week.

I think an older version of the desktop app is running on my computer. What should I do?

Older versions of the desktop app can prevent the current version from running properly. Please ensure you only have one version of the desktop app installed on your machine. If you have more than one version, please uninstall all versions and then redownload and reinstall the latest version.

I'm getting a warning that the app has a virus. What is happening?

The Upwork Desktop App is completely safe. However, because it uses various API technologies to capture and record screenshots, some virus scans mistake this capturing and transmitting of information as potential spyware or malware. You can avoid getting these warnings or black screenshots in the future by adding the desktop app to your security scan's whitelist.

How do I report a problem with the desktop app and time tracker?

If you still experience problems after troubleshooting, report the issue so we can help you. Here’s how:

Select your name at the lower left of the app
Select Support and Feedback
Enter the details of your issue and choose Send

Please provide an explanation of your issue with as much information as possible, including the date and time (in your time zone) that the incident occurred and the contract ID.

Our support team can assist you in a more efficient manner if you can provide specific details or screenshots of the problem you encountered, any error messages received, and whether the issue is ongoing.