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Screenshot Monitor is a time tracking product that takes screenshots while you work, so a manager or client can see what was on your screen during the hours you logged. Plenty of people searching for it were simply told to install it. This guide covers how Screenshot Monitor works, then the wider category of employee screenshot monitoring, using the vendor's own pages wherever possible.
What is Screenshot Monitor?
Screenshot Monitor says employees start and stop tracking themselves in a lightweight desktop app, and that the tracked time, screenshots and task notes are delivered to a web dashboard. Its help articles are hosted under the scrin.io brand, and the company's own pages list screenshotmonitor.com and scrin.io as brands of the same service. You may see either name.
The vendor says it records time, screenshots, an activity level, and the applications and websites used. It says it does not record specific keystrokes.
How do Screenshot Monitor screenshots work?
Screenshots are taken at random intervals while tracking is running. The vendor says nothing is collected if the app is open but tracking has not been started.
Frequency is set by managers, from 0 to 30 per hour, which it describes as one every two minutes on average at the top end. Your plan limits it too. The pricing page lists up to 3 per hour on Free, 6 on Standard and 30 on Professional. Screenshots are optional and can be switched off for time-tracking-only use.
A few defaults are worth knowing. Users get a small notification when a screenshot is taken. Managers can turn on a Blur all option, and the vendor says the blur is permanent. Retention also depends on plan: the pricing page lists 2 weeks on Free, 3 months on Standard and 1 year on Professional, with every second screenshot kept after the first 3 months.
What does the activity level mean?
The vendor explains its number in a help article. Every 10 seconds it checks whether there was any mouse movement or keystroke. The activity level is the share of those 10-second intervals with input, between one screenshot and the next. If 9 of 12 intervals had input, the level is 75%.
Note the difference from some other trackers. Here, moving the mouse counts. Even so, reading, thinking and phone calls produce nothing, so the number measures input, not effort.
Does it track apps and websites?
The settings default to tracking both, and the data appears in an Apps and URLs view on the timeline. Managers can change this per employee. On the vendor's pricing page, activity level and app and URL tracking are listed on all plans.
What happens when I pause, go idle or work offline?
- Pause: employees can press Pause for a personal matter.
- Idle: tracking auto-pauses after 5 minutes of inactivity by default, and managers can change that.
- Offline time: by default users can add offline time, shown in a different colour and labelled offline in reports.
Who can see my screenshots, and can I delete them?
The vendor says only the company manager and the employee can see the employee's screenshots, and that employees should be able to see everything their manager can. It also says employees can delete their own, and that it will not add an option to block this. Deleting a screenshot also deletes the period of time it covers. Managers can delete too, and all manual changes are logged in a History of changes view. One vendor article announcing this policy is from 2014, so check your own account for the current behaviour.
How does employee screenshot monitoring work in general?
Screenshot monitoring is the practice of capturing your screen at intervals while you are clocked in. Details vary by product, but a few themes repeat:
- Intervals. Random timing is common. WebWork allows up to 10 per 10 minutes on higher plans, while Screenshot Monitor sets a per-hour count.
- Blur. Several tools can blur captures so a manager sees general activity without readable content.
- Visibility. The employer chooses who sees them. WebWork, Monitask and Screenshot Monitor all describe workers being able to see their own, but check your own account.
- Deletion. Policies differ. Where workers can delete, it often removes the matching time.
- Retention. Stored for weeks to a year depending on plan.
On the legal side, which is general information and not legal advice, rules differ by country and province. In Ontario, for example, employers with 25 or more employees must have a written policy that says whether they electronically monitor and how the data is used. The government guidance adds that this does not create new privacy rights or stop monitoring. The rules are mostly about disclosure, so it is reasonable to ask for your employer's policy in writing.
What it sees versus what it understands
A screenshot shows one moment. It cannot tell a manager whether you were reading a spec, waiting on a build or checking a personal message. An activity circle shows input, not progress. These tools capture the shadow of work, and shadows are a poor likeness when the work is thinking, reading or talking.
If your real work keeps landing in the invisible column, that's the problem LazyWork was built for.
What is reasonable to raise with a manager?
- Ask how many screenshots per hour are configured and whether blur is on.
- Ask who can see them and how long they are kept.
- Explain that meetings, reading and research show up as low activity, and offer notes or offline time as context.
- Ask for the written monitoring policy.
Frequently asked questions
Is Screenshot Monitor spyware?
The vendor says no and says employees are in control of starting and stopping it. Its scrin.io page also says the product cannot be run in stealth mode by design. Your own account will show you what is captured.
Does Screenshot Monitor log keystrokes?
The vendor says it records activity level only, not specific keystrokes.
Can my employer see my screenshots in real time?
The vendor says managers see data on the web as it arrives. Screenshots are uploaded while tracking runs.
Does a screenshot tool see my second monitor?
The Screenshot Monitor pages reviewed here do not say, so it is not covered. Check with your employer.
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