Frequently Asked Questions

Ghost Mode is a Windows desktop app that simulates natural mouse and keyboard activity so your computer does not appear idle to time tracking software like Hubstaff, TimeDoctor, Teramind, and ActivTrak. It creates realistic activity patterns, including smooth mouse movements, window switches, and scroll events, that keep remote work trackers showing you as active. It runs in your system tray and works entirely offline with no cloud connection.

No, and we want to be direct about that. Ghost Mode works on the input signal, which is what activity percentage and idle detection are built from. Screenshots capture whatever is on your display, and no activity simulator changes what a screen capture contains. If screenshots are your concern, the answer is asking your organization about the blur setting, not software.

Ghost Mode is compatible with all major employee monitoring and time tracking platforms including Hubstaff, TimeDoctor, Teramind, ActivTrak, Insightful, and Toggl Track. Because it simulates activity at the Windows system level, producing genuine mouse movement and keyboard input, it works with any software that measures those inputs. Results vary based on your company's specific monitoring configuration.

Ghost Mode simulates the Windows-level mouse and keyboard activity that Upwork's desktop tracker and similar freelance platform tools detect, which helps prevent idle status during active work sessions. Always review your platform's Terms of Service before use. Ghost Mode is intended to keep you active during genuine work, not to log unworked hours.

A mouse jiggler moves the cursor a fixed distance at a fixed interval, which produces a completely flat activity chart. Ghost Mode runs five independent activity types with randomized timing and natural pauses, so the resulting pattern varies the way a working person's does. A flat line at 100 percent is the pattern reviewers notice most readily, which is exactly what a basic jiggler produces.

It is adjustable, and the point is not to reach 100 percent. A sustained 100 percent means no gap longer than one second across an entire block, which humans do not produce, and it is the clearest automation signature. Ghost Mode's Human Breaks feature inserts natural pauses so activity rises and dips within a believable range instead of holding a constant maximum.

Hubstaff records whether input occurred each second, not cursor position, path, or speed, so its data is too coarse to identify a specific tool. What is visible to a reviewer is an unnaturally flat activity pattern, which is the problem Ghost Mode's varied timing and Human Breaks are designed to avoid. If your organization enables app tracking, running application names appear in reports like any other software.

Yes. Ghost Mode is a normal Windows application and appears in Task Manager like any other program. We would treat any tool claiming to be invisible to a process list with suspicion, because hiding at that level is behaviour security software is specifically built to flag.

No. The simulated movements are subtle and timed to avoid disrupting your mouse or keyboard. You can pause it instantly with a hotkey, Ctrl+Alt+P by default, whenever you need full manual control. The app uses under 50 MB of RAM and has negligible CPU impact, so you will not see slowdowns or conflicts with other applications.

Yes. Teams and Slack set your presence from the operating system's idle signal, which any input resets. Ghost Mode keeps that signal alive, so your status stays green during meetings, reading, or focused work away from the keyboard. Neither app has any way to analyse where the input came from.

Yes. Input is not attributed to a specific display, so monitor count makes no difference to how Ghost Mode works or to your activity percentage. Note that screenshots on a multi-monitor setup normally capture every connected display, and Ghost Mode does not change that.

Ghost Mode runs entirely on your local machine and makes no outbound connections during activity simulation. The only internet use is account authentication through ghostmode.work and checking your license status. No activity data, screenshots, or usage logs are ever sent anywhere.

Ghost Mode requires Windows 10 or Windows 11, 64-bit. It does not require administrator privileges to run. The app is a single .exe file with no installation and no dependencies, so you download it, double-click, and it works. macOS and Linux versions are planned for a future release.

Yes. The Daily Schedule feature lets you set start and end times, for example 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM, so Ghost Mode only runs during your work window. You can also set it to auto-stop after a specific number of hours or at a specific time, and settings are saved between sessions. This matters, because activity continuing overnight or through a day you were away is the clearest possible signal to a reviewer.

Ghost Mode offers three plans: Monthly at $3.99 per month, Annual at $35.99 per year which saves 25 percent, and Lifetime at $60.99 as a one-time payment. All plans include the full feature set and a 10-day free trial, and a 14-day money-back guarantee applies to every purchase.

Ghost Mode is a productivity tool, not malware, and using it is legal in most jurisdictions. You should review your employer's monitoring policy or your freelance platform's Terms of Service before use. It is intended for legitimate use, meaning keeping your status accurate while you are genuinely working, on a call, or reading. It should not be used to claim hours you did not work.