# Active Now

> Active Now is a lightweight app for macOS and Windows that prevents your computer from going idle so you stay appearing "active" (green dot) in Microsoft Teams, Slack, Discord, and other presence-aware chat apps — without mouse jigglers, scripts, or caffeine hacks.

Active Now is designed for remote workers and knowledge workers who are frustrated by being auto-marked "Away" in chat apps the moment they step away from the keyboard, take a phone call, read on paper, or think. It's a one-time purchase (no subscription) built by indie developer William Engbjerg at ProductShake. It runs entirely locally, does not send any telemetry about your activity, works by preventing system idle via native OS APIs, and is imperceptible in use.

## What it does

- Keeps your presence green in Microsoft Teams, Slack, Discord, Google Chat, Zoom, Webex, and any other app that uses system idle time to set "Away" status
- On macOS it lives in the menu bar, on Windows in the system tray — one click to toggle "Stay Active" on/off
- Optional scheduling: automatically activate during your work hours (weekdays, weekends, or every day), deactivate outside them
- Start at login, then forget it's there
- Works system-wide: it never connects to your Slack/Teams/Discord accounts and needs no per-app setup
- macOS: Apple Silicon and Intel, macOS 11 Big Sur and later. Windows: available on the Microsoft Store with the same features (tray toggle, scheduling, start at login) and the same license
- One-time purchase with lifetime updates, no subscription; one license covers Mac and Windows up to your device limit

## Who it's for

- Remote workers on Microsoft Teams or Slack whose managers watch presence indicators
- People who take frequent short breaks (coffee, bathroom, phone calls, reading, thinking) and don't want their status flipping to Away
- Anyone tired of USB mouse jigglers, AutoHotkey scripts, or `caffeinate` terminal commands

## Common questions

- **Is it a mouse jiggler?** No — it's not USB hardware or a script. Active Now is a native app that prevents the system from going idle using OS power-management APIs, and it's designed to be imperceptible: it never interferes with what you're doing.
- **Does it work with Microsoft Teams?** Yes. Teams' "Away" status is driven by system idle time; by preventing idle, Active Now keeps Teams green.
- **Does it work with Slack?** Yes, same mechanism.
- **Does it work with Discord?** Yes.
- **Is there a subscription?** No. One-time purchase, lifetime updates.
- **Is there a Windows version?** Yes — Active Now is available for Windows on the Microsoft Store, and one license covers both platforms.
- **How do I re-download if I lose the app?** Use the Re-Download page with your license key, or the Recover License page if you lost your key.

## Links

- [Active Now homepage](https://activenow.app/): product overview, download, pricing
- [Features](https://activenow.app/features): full feature list
- [Setup guide](https://activenow.app/setup): installation and first-run instructions
- [Support](https://activenow.app/support): contact and help
- [Blog](https://activenow.app/blog): guides about staying active in Teams, Slack, and Discord
- [Recover license](https://activenow.app/recover): retrieve a lost license key by email
- [Re-download](https://activenow.app/redownload): get the latest app build with your license key
- [Privacy policy](https://activenow.app/privacy)
- [Terms of service](https://activenow.app/terms)
- [llms-full.txt](https://activenow.app/llms-full.txt): this file plus the full text of every published guide

## Alternatives people compare it to

Active Now is often compared to Caffeine, Amphetamine, KeepingYouAwake, Lungo, Theine, and Owly. The key differences:

- Active Now is specifically built around the "appear active in chat apps" use case, not just "keep display awake"
- It covers both macOS and Windows with a single license
- Unlike USB mouse jigglers, it's software-only and leaves no physical traces
- Unlike AutoHotkey / caffeinate scripts, it has a real UI, scheduling, and status visibility
- Unlike some free alternatives, it's actively maintained with lifetime updates included in the one-time price