Application Usage, available in all ActivTrack plans, shows the top applications teams and individuals use to understand the ROI of technology investments, ensure role alignment, and improve processes and training.
To access Application Usage, navigate to Technology & AI Usage > Application Usage.
Tip: Add Application Usage to your Favorites for quick access.
This dashboard utilizes Live Data
This dashboard is powered by ActivTrak's Live Data, which shows real-time information as it happens with updates every 2-5 minutes. For a complete explanation of how Live Data differs from Insights, see Understanding Live Data and Insights.
Contents
When to use Application Usage
Application Usage shows which applications your team uses most frequently and for how long. This data helps you:
- Ensure application usage aligns with job roles
- Monitor software compliance
Note: Anything set to the Ignore category inside Settings > Classifications will be excluded. You can read more about this feature here.
Navigating Application Usage
Filter settings
Application Usage can be filtered by User, Group, and time range using the drop-down filter menu options at the top of the dashboard. Click the Refresh button after making your selections to ensure they are applied.
You can also filter by productivity classification to show only Productive, Unproductive, or Undefined applications, helping you focus on specific aspects of application usage.
Quick Stats
Expand Quick Stats to see the time breakdown by productivity category:
| Summary View | Shows time broken into Productive, Unproductive, and Undefined categories |
| Detailed View | Further categorizes time as Active or Passive |
Application usage
The dashboard is split into two sections:
The left side shows the application name, its productivity classification, the time spent in the application, and the percentage of overall application usage, sorted by duration from highest to lowest. In the Summary View, you will see the total time spent using the applications. Switch to Detailed View for a breakdown by Active and Passive time.
The icon to the left of each application indicates its productivity classification:
| Teal | Productive websites |
| Purple | Unproductive websites |
| Gray | Undefined websites (not yet classified) |
You can change an application’s Activity Classification (Productive, Unproductive, or Undefined) directly from this dashboard by clicking the Update Application Classifications button above the right side. Group Classifications allow you to tailor which applications are considered productive based on each team's specific needs. For example, social media tools may be essential for marketing teams but can be distracting for engineering teams.
Note: Application names are broken down by OS. For example, the application Front will be “Front.exe” for PCs and “con. front app. Front” for Macs.
Hover over a specific Application, and two new options will appear from a hidden menu:
| View Activity | Navigate to the Activity Log, filtered for that particular Application |
| Copy Name | Copy the Application name to your device’s clipboard |
When you select an application on the left, the right side shows detailed information broken down into three tabs:
A list of the top title bars for the selected application, along with
duration
and usage percentage.
Note: Requires Advanced Details in Sensitive Data Visibility or Screen Details
Note: This tab is only available if the date range filter is 30 days or less. You will need to shorten the time frame to view the Users tab.
In addition to the duration and percentage, the Titles tab will display two additional icons:
- The screenshot icon lets you quickly search for screenshots available for the associated activity. Note: Not all accounts have screenshots; review ActivTrak account requirements here.
- The bell icon lets you quickly create an alarm for the associated activity. If you would like more details, see the Creating Application Alarms section.
Hover over a specific Title, and two new options will appear from a hidden menu:
| View Activity | Navigate to the Activity Log |
| Copy Title | Copy the Title name to your device's clipboard |
Customizing the dashboard
Productivity classification
Applications are assigned a productivity classification based on your organization's settings. To adjust how applications are classified:
- Navigate to Settings > Classifications
- Find the application you wish to reclassify. Tip: Use the search bar in the top-right corner.
- Change its status to Productive or Unproductive using the dropdown menu
Classifications
For more information about setting up Classifications, see this Help Center Article: Guide to Activity Classification
Creating application alarms
You can set up alarms to be notified when certain applications are used. To create an alarm:
- Select an Application on the left side
- From the Titles tab on the right side, click on the bell icon next to the Title of interest
- Configure your alarm settings
- Click Create
Note: Only users with Admin or Configurator access can create new alarms.
For more information about setting up alarms, see this article in our Help Center: ActivTrak Alarms Overview.
Exporting data
Use our Export feature to seamlessly integrate ActivTrak data with additional metrics to uncover correlations between technology investments and key performance indicators, such as overall employee performance.
To export data from Application Usage:
- Set your desired filters for user, group, time range, and productivity classification
- Click the Export button in the upper right corner
- Select the data you are looking to extract: Applications Only, Applications and Titles or Applications and Users
- Choose to Download the data directly to your device or Save to Google
Practical applications
Tracking application usage patterns
The Users tab shows which team members use specific applications and when they use them throughout the day. This visibility lets you:
- Track usage patterns across departments to ensure consistent implementation
- Identify team members who aren't using critical applications consistently
- Monitor how quickly teams adopt newly deployed software
- Spot gaps in application usage that indicate potential training needs
Monitor application usage with alarms
Set up targeted notifications to stay informed when specific applications are used:
- Receive alerts when unauthorized software is detected on company devices
- Monitor usage of high-risk applications that may present security concerns
- Get notified when expensive licensed software is being underutilized
- Track adoption rates of newly implemented applications across teams
For example, an alarm can notify a manager when design team members use alternative design applications instead of the company's licensed Adobe Creative Suite, indicating a potential coaching opportunity or unauthorized software use.
Optimizing technology investments
Application Usage provides an introductory view into application usage that can help you identify:
- Which applications are being used most frequently
- How usage varies across teams and departments
- Potential opportunities for consolidating similar tools
- Applications where usage is lower than expected, indicating potential adoption issues
This dashboard serves as a valuable starting point for organizations making strategic decisions about software investments. However, for more comprehensive license optimization and technology ROI analysis, ActivTrak offers specialized solutions:
- Technology Utilization (available in select plans) - Provides deeper insights into website and application usage patterns, adoption rates, and unused licenses with detailed visualization of technology utilization across teams.
- ActivTrak for Power BI - Technology License Optimization Report - Delivers advanced analytics to maximize software investments through intelligent license management, helping organizations reduce technology costs and make data-driven decisions about software renewals.
Pro Tip: Technology Utilization displays both application and website usage in a single view, which is particularly valuable for tools that can be accessed via either method (such as Zoom, ChatGPT, or Microsoft Teams) to gain a comprehensive picture of actual usage.