TRACK MAC
SCREEN TIME AS
MARKDOWN.

The shortest path is: install time.md on macOS, grant the local permissions needed for Screen Time and browser-history files, use your Mac normally, then open Export and choose Markdown or Obsidian. The result is a normal file on your Mac, not a cloud dashboard or an account-bound report.

What time.md tracks on Mac

time.md is a macOS app for private Screen Time analytics. It focuses on the questions Apple Screen Time usually leaves unanswered: which apps consumed the day, when sessions happened, how usage changed across a week, which categories matter, and what you can export for your own review process.

For this article, the key distinction is app time versus web history. App usage tells you that Safari, Chrome, Xcode, Terminal, or Slack was active. Web History adds the local page and domain context inside browsers when those browser databases are available.

Set up permissions without over-granting

macOS protects the local files that make detailed time tracking useful. time.md does not bypass those protections; you choose which access to grant.

1. Install and open time.md

   Move the app to /Applications if you want macOS permissions to attach to the copy you will keep using.

2. Grant Full Disk Access

   Open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Full Disk Access, add /Applications/time.md.app, turn it on, then quit and reopen time.md. This is the permission that lets time.md read protected local Screen Time and browser-history files.

3. Skip optional input permissions unless you need them

   Accessibility and Input Monitoring are relevant to optional input tracking, not the standard dashboard or export workflow.

4. Keep entitlement traffic separate from activity data

   Trial, license, and update checks may use the network, but Screen Time sessions, browser visits, exports, categories, and input rows are not sent to time.md entitlement servers.

Review app usage and browser context before exporting

Before saving anything as Markdown, narrow the story you want the file to tell. A daily note might need only top apps and categories. A weekly review might need trends, heatmaps, and sessions. A distraction audit might need browser-history domains.

Save Mac Screen Time as Markdown

The Export screen turns your filtered time.md data into portable files. Choose a date range, pick the sections you want, select Markdown, then write the file to a folder you control.

1. Open Export

   Use the Export screen when you are ready to create a report from local analytics.

2. Choose the scope

   Select a date range such as today, yesterday, last 7 days, this week, or this month. Add app, category, or browser-history filters when you want a narrower file.

3. Pick sections

   General exports are compact. Extensive exports include more of the available report model. Custom exports let you choose exactly which sections belong in the file.

4. Select Markdown

   Markdown exports can include headings, tables, metadata, and formatting options that work in plain text editors, GitHub, documentation folders, and notes apps.

5. Review before sharing

   Exports can reveal detailed behavior, especially raw sessions and browser-history sections. Read the generated file before emailing it, committing it, or placing it in a synced folder.

A Markdown export can look like this:

---
title: "time.md Data Export"
date: 2026-06-13
type: screentime-export
tags:
  - timemd
  - screentime
---

# time.md Data Export

| Property | Value |
|----------|-------|
| Generated | [[2026-06-13]] |
| Date Range | [[2026-06-06]] → [[2026-06-13]] |

## Top Apps

| app_name | total_seconds | session_count |
|----------|---------------|---------------|
| [[Apps/Safari|Safari]] | 7200.000 | 45 |
| [[Apps/Xcode|Xcode]] | 5400.000 | 23 |

## Related

- Daily Note: [[2026-06-13]]
- Top Apps:
  - [[Apps/Safari|Safari]]
  - [[Apps/Xcode|Xcode]]

Build an Obsidian-friendly workflow

If you use Obsidian, the goal is not just to export a file once. The useful workflow is a repeatable local review ritual.

The default export destination is ~/Downloads/time.md Exports/, but a custom folder makes more sense for Obsidian. Choose a vault folder once, then reuse the same preset for weekly or monthly reviews.

Use CSV, JSON, or YAML when Markdown is not enough

Markdown is ideal for human review, but it is not always the best interchange format. time.md also supports CSV, JSON, and YAML for workflows where you want formulas, scripts, or structured archives.

Privacy notes before you make exports a habit

Local-first does not mean harmless. A local file can still contain sensitive behavior. Treat screen-time reports like private notes unless you intentionally prepared them for sharing.

• Screen Time sessions, browser visits, export files, category mappings, and optional input data stay on your Mac unless you share, sync, or upload them yourself.
• Private or incognito browser windows usually do not write normal local history, so time.md cannot show visits that the browser never saved.
• If you clear browser history before time.md reads it, those visits may not be available unless they were already persisted in time.md’s local web-history archive.
• Input Tracking is optional and separate. Do not include raw input sections in exports unless you understand exactly what they contain.
• Trial, license, and update network calls do not include your Screen Time database, browser history, export contents, categories, or local SQL query results.

Next steps

If you want a practical starting routine, create one weekly Obsidian export with Summary, Apps, Categories, Trends, Sessions, and Web History sections. After two or three weeks, you will have a searchable private archive of where your Mac hours went.