Settings

The Settings page lets you configure FocusMe’s global behaviour. Open it from the Settings tab in the sidebar.

General

Setting	Description
Start at logon	Launch FocusMe automatically when you log in to your computer
Master password	Set a global password required to access FocusMe settings and plan management
Start minimized	Launch FocusMe to the system tray instead of showing the main window
Font scale	Adjust the UI font size for readability
Dark theme	Switch between light and dark interface themes
Update method	Choose how updates are handled: Prompt (asks before installing) or Automatic (installs silently)
Check Now	Manually check for available updates
Next day offset	Set when FocusMe considers a new day to start (e.g., 4:00 AM so late-night usage counts as the previous day)
Daily backups	Automatically back up your plan configurations each day
24-hour clock	Display times in 24-hour format instead of 12-hour AM/PM

Master Password

The master password protects access to FocusMe itself. When set:

Opening the FocusMe main window requires the password
Accessing Settings requires the password
The password is separate from individual plan protection passwords

If you forget your master password, contact FocusMe support with your Device ID (shown in the emergency stop code dialog). Support can issue a reset — you may need to verify device ownership. Choose something memorable or store your password in a password manager to avoid this.

Browsers

The Browsers tab has options for how FocusMe detects websites, plus install links for the browser extension. The defaults work well for most users — install the extension and leave everything else as-is.

System

The System tab contains advanced protection and system-level settings.

Protection Settings

These toggles make FocusMe harder to bypass. Enable them based on how tamper-resistant you need your setup to be.

Setting	Description
Process protection	Prevent FocusMe from being stopped or terminated
Config protection	Prevent plan settings from being changed outside the app
Directory protection	Prevent FocusMe’s files from being deleted or replaced
Block Task Manager	Prevent Task Manager (Windows) or Activity Monitor (macOS) from opening while plans are active
Block terminal	Prevent command-line terminals from opening while plans are active
Block terminal commands	Block commands that could be used to interfere with FocusMe
Fast Blocking	Detect and block websites and apps faster. Uses slightly more CPU and battery.
NTP clock	Validate the system clock against a network time server to prevent time-based bypass
Block date/time changes	Prevent the system clock from being changed while plans are active
Protect uninstall	Prevent FocusMe from being uninstalled while plans are active

Data Settings

Setting	Description
Statistics recording	Enable or disable tracking of website and application usage data
Clipboard protection	Block clipboard operations (copy/paste) while plans are active — useful for preventing workarounds
Max plans	Set a limit on the number of plans that can be created
Import/Export	Enable or disable the ability to import and export plans as `.FMP` files

Import/Export must be enabled here before you can use the import and export options in the plan context menu. See Import & Export Plans for details.

Coach & Anonymous Data

Setting	Description
Share Anonymous Data for Coaching & Recommendations	Enable anonymous activity data collection to power Coach insights. Your data is stored under an anonymous token that cannot be traced back to your account.
Auto-report frequency	Generate Coach reports automatically: Off, Daily, or Weekly. When a report is ready, you’ll see a notification with a headline teaser.
Delete My Data	Permanently delete all your anonymous activity data from our servers. This button appears when sharing is turned off.

In the EU, EEA, and UK, you must explicitly opt in before any data is collected. In other regions, sharing is enabled by default but can be turned off at any time.

See Coach for full details on what data is collected and how privacy is maintained.

Notifications

Setting	Description
Notification position	Choose where notifications appear on screen (top-right, bottom-right, etc.)
Notification sounds	Enable or disable audio alerts for notifications
Block notifications	Suppress all FocusMe notifications (useful during presentations)
Fixed interval thresholds	Configure the time intervals at which periodic reminders are triggered

Per-plan notification settings (status changes, usage alerts, start/end warnings) are configured in Step 5 (Details) of the Plan Wizard. The Settings > Notifications tab controls global notification behaviour.

Timer

Setting	Description
Show logo	Show or hide the plan icon in the Timer Window
Show plan name	Show or hide the plan name in the Timer Window
Show action icons	Show or hide inline action icons (stop, pause, resume, skip break) on the timer face
Progress style	Choose how progress is displayed: None, Bottom Line, or Background Fill
Pomodoro penalty	Restart the Pomodoro work timer when you visit a blocked site during a work interval

Getting Started

Core Concepts

Advanced

General

Master Password

Browsers

System

Protection Settings

Data Settings

Coach & Anonymous Data

Notifications

Timer

​General

​Master Password

​Browsers

​System

​Protection Settings

​Data Settings

​Coach & Anonymous Data

​Notifications

​Timer

General

Master Password

Browsers

System

Protection Settings

Data Settings

Coach & Anonymous Data

Notifications

Timer