Users and teams

ManicTime Server v2026.3 has a new sign-in system. If your server uses it, read Users with the new sign-in system first. The Users section describes the old sign-in system. See Sign-in methods.

Users

A list of all users, who are using this server. If you delete a user, all his/her data will be deleted as well.

Get all names from AD will try to get users names from AD. These names are then used instead of usernames.

Archived Users

Archived user:

  • doesn't need a license
  • can't send data to the server
  • can't login on the server
  • if user had data for the chosen time period, user will be included in reports

You can archive or unarchive users from the Users menu in Administration.

Archived administrator can still login to the server and manage settings, but can't view any reports.

With Windows authentication, users are created automatically when they send data or visit the server. If there are no more free licenses, new users will be created with status Archived.

Archived users and license quantity

Archived users do not need a license, so we suggest you archive users, who are no longer sending data to the server, so that you do not pay for unnecessary licenses.

Users with the new sign-in system

On a server with the new sign-in system, each user has one or more sign-in methods: Windows, Entra or Email and password. The new sign-in system is for on-premises servers only.

Users list

Go to Administration -> User management -> Users. The list shows Name, Username, Roles and Teams. Click a name to open Edit user.

An Archived badge after the name shows that the user is archived. Click the badge to read what this means.

A badge next to the username shows the status of the password:

  • Pending activation - the user did not set a password yet.
  • Pending password reset - a password reset link is waiting. The old password works until the user sets a new one.
  • E-mail was not sent - ManicTime Server could not send the invitation or the reset link.

You can type a badge text, for example Archived, in the filter above the list to find these users.

Add a user

  1. Click Add user.
  2. If more than one sign-in method is enabled, select the method under Sign-in method for new user.
  3. Enter the account of the user:
    • For Email and password, enter the Email and the Name of the user.
    • For Windows, type the account name and select it from the list. You can also enter DOMAIN\username and click Select.
    • For Entra, type the account name and select it from the list. You can also enter the account and click Select.
  4. Click Next.
  5. Select the roles and the teams of the user.
  6. For Email and password, click Invite. For the other methods, click Create.

You cannot add a user when all licenses are in use.

A user that you add with Windows or Entra gets the name and the email address from the directory.

Invitations

When you add a user with Email and password, the user sets their own password through an invitation link. Until then, the user cannot sign in with a password.

After you click Invite, the dialog shows the Invitation link:

  • If email is set up, click Send invitation link by email.
  • If email is not set up, copy the link and send it to the user yourself.

The invitation link works until the user sets the password, or until you create a new link. The user opens the link, sets a password and then signs in with their email and the new password.

Edit user

Click the name of a user to open Edit user.

Under Sign-in methods, you see each sign-in method of the user. You can:

  • Add a method. Click Add sign-in method, select the method and enter the account.
  • Remove a method. Click Remove. The user can no longer sign in with that method. Sessions and devices that signed in with the method lose access.
  • For Email and password:
    • Click Change email to change the email that the user signs in with. The password stays the same. Password sessions are signed out.
    • Click Reset password to create a password reset link. While the user has no password yet, the link is called Activate and creates a new invitation link.
  • For Windows and Entra, click Sync now to update the name and the email address from the directory.

A user can have only one method of each type. A user can also have no sign-in methods. Such a user cannot sign in, but keeps their data and license.

If a directory account is disabled, expired or not found, the method shows the reason. The user cannot sign in with that method.

Below the sign-in methods, you can edit:

  • Name and Notification email. In Source, select the sign-in method that the value follows, or Entered manually. While Email and password is the only sign-in method, the notification email always follows it.
  • Roles
  • Teams and the primary team

To archive a user, click Archive at the top of the page. To restore the user, click Restore from archive. To delete the user and all their data, click Delete user at the bottom of the page.

Limits for your own account

To make sure that you do not lock yourself out, you cannot do these actions on your own user:

  • Remove the Administrator role.
  • Delete the user.
  • Remove the sign-in method that you are signed in with.

Another administrator can do these actions for you.

Users that sign in for the first time

When Create users automatically is on for Windows or Entra, ManicTime Server creates a user when someone signs in for the first time. If no license is available, the user is created as archived. See Sign-in methods.

Permissions

Roles are groups with added security settings. Available roles:

  • Administrator - have access to server settings as well as all the data on the server.
  • Content reader - can see all data, but does not have access to admin pages
  • Content reader [team] - a content reader role will be created for each team. Members will see all data of users in that team.
  • Regular user - by default all users are in this role. They only have access to their own data and can't change any of the admin settings.

By default the user who installs the server will also be an Admin on the server. You can also add admins via command line.

Teams

If your organization has a large number of users, you can use Teams to group them.

When a user visits the server it will authenticate with Windows authentication. At that point user will also be visible under Users tab in Admin section.

You can also add users before they visited the server. On the create team window you can manually add users (place each user on its own line).

Teams based on Active Directory groups when using Windows authentication

When using Windows authentication, you can use Active Directory groups as Teams. When you create an Active Directory team, you pick which Active Directory group it should be based on. When users come to the server, they will be placed in correct teams.