Reaction
Hubstaff
Hubstaff idle timeout: the exact timers, explained
Hubstaff stops counting when it sees no input for a while. Your employer sets the timer, not you.
This week
76% On track
Idle time is not low activity
Low activity means the tracker saw some input, just not much — 30% instead of 70%. Idle means it saw nothing at all. Low activity is a number on a full timesheet; idle is a gap.
The timers are your employer's setting
Hubstaff ships no universal idle timeout. The threshold lives in organization settings, and admins choose how long the silence has to run before the timer trips.
- The idle threshold — usually minutes, but configurable.
- Whether you get a keep-or-discard prompt.
- Whether the timer stops itself after long silence.
What happens to that time
Idle minutes are not billable. Hubstaff either drops them silently or asks on your return whether to keep the time; an unanswered prompt usually discards it. A day that felt like eight hours posts as seven.
What the manager sees
Short gaps are invisible — everyone reads and takes calls. Holes stand out: a 40-minute blank every afternoon is a pattern managers notice. Reaction keeps input alive in a varied rhythm only while you are away.
In short
Idle time is silence, not slowness, and the only thing you control is whether the silence happens.
Let Reaction hold the number for you
Set your activity band, turn on hidden mode, and Reaction keeps a natural, human-like level while you are away — and hands control back the moment you return.
FAQ
Does Hubstaff track idle time?
Yes — it marks the stretch as idle once no mouse or keyboard input arrives for the configured period.
What is the Hubstaff idle timeout?
There is no fixed value; it is an organization setting, so ask your admin.
Does idle time lower my activity percentage?
Usually it is removed rather than counted as zero, so the percentage survives but the hours do not.