Tai is a lightweight Windows app for understanding how you spend time on your computer. It tracks foreground applications locally and can also track active websites through the Tai Sentry browser extension.
No account is required. Your usage database stays on your computer.
Tai is an independent fork and is not an official release of the original Tai project. The original MIT license and attribution are preserved in LICENSE.
Download the latest version from GitHub Releases.
For version 1.1.0, download Tai-WinUI-1.1.0-win-x64.zip.
Tai is a portable desktop app:
- Download the ZIP file.
- Extract it to a folder you control.
- Run
Tai.WinUI.exe.
- Windows 10 version 1809 (build 17763) or later.
- 64-bit Windows.
- Administrator permission may be required to observe applications running with elevated permission.
- Foreground application usage time.
- Daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly statistics.
- Frequently used applications and usage trends.
- Website usage through the optional browser extension.
- Application categories and category breakdowns.
- Detailed records with date, period, source, and search filters.
Tai includes default categories for common browsers, office apps, development tools, communication apps, creative tools, learning apps, media players, games, and system utilities. You can rename, delete, or add categories at any time. The bundled defaults are maintained in default-categories.json.
Website tracking is optional. Install Tai Sentry from the Chrome Web Store, then:
- Open Tai.
- Open Settings.
- Enable Website tracking.
- Keep Tai running while you browse.
Tai Sentry supports Chrome and Chromium-based browsers that can install Chrome Web Store extensions. It sends website timing data to Tai on the same computer through the local connection. Website timing data is not sent to GitHub.
See today's total application time, the number of applications and websites recorded, the weekly trend, category distribution, and frequently used items.
Switch between day, week, month, and year views to compare trends, rankings, and category usage.
Filter records by date range and source, search for an application or website, and open an item for more detail.
Create your own categories or edit directory matching rules. Tai also assigns recognized applications to its built-in categories automatically. Manual categorization takes priority.
Use Get latest categories on this page to fetch the catalog from GitHub. The successful catalog is cached in Data/default-categories.json for offline use. Existing category names, deleted categories, directory rules, and manual application assignments are preserved. Newly recognized applications and applications without a category are assigned using the latest process rules.
To update the shared catalog, edit default-categories.json on the master branch. Each entry has a stable key, display name, hex color, and a list of executable processes without .exe. Keep keys unique; a process name can belong to only one category. Changes become available to users after they fetch the catalog or their automatic interval elapses.
Manage startup behavior, theme, sleep monitoring, ignored applications, process allowlists, URL filters, data export, and data cleanup. Under General > Application categories, choose an automatic fetch interval or turn it off. The default interval is 24 hours.
Tai stores its data locally in the application folder by default:
Data/data.dbcontains usage records.Data/AppConfig.jsoncontains settings.Data/default-categories.jsoncaches the last valid catalog fetched from GitHub.Log/startup.logcontains startup diagnostics.
Category updates download the public catalog from GitHub. Tai does not send application usage records, website timing data, or local category assignments with these requests. There is no Tai account or advertising service, and your usage data is not synchronized to the cloud.
You can disable website tracking, delete selected records in Settings, or remove the application folder to uninstall Tai. Back up the Data folder before deleting it if you need to keep your history.
Make sure Tai is running and that the application is in the foreground. Some elevated applications require Tai to run with the same or higher permission level.
Confirm that Tai Sentry is installed and enabled in your browser, Tai Sentry is connected to the same computer, and Website tracking is enabled in Tai.
Tai restores the window inside the available display area. Use the Windows snap or move commands if a display configuration has changed.
Tai is an independent fork and is not an official release of the original Tai project. It is distributed under the MIT License.