Your desk is a tiny gym.

Wrist abs, possibly. Results not typical. Results not really possible.

Honestly approximate. Mouse distance comes from the sensor and is accurate once calibrated. Calories come from a physical model (friction, hand acceleration and braking) plus the steady cost of keeping your arm engaged, checked against lab measurements of people typing and gaming, which put computer work at roughly 2–9 calories an hour above sitting still. Deskercise sits at the conservative end of that range, so a typical office day lands around 10–20 calories. It's a fun, grounded number, not a medical measurement.

No. It's a key counter. It notices that a key went down and adds one to a number. Which key it was is never stored, logged or sent anywhere. On Windows, the secure screens (sign-in, the lock screen, Ctrl+Alt+Del and admin prompts) aren't visible to it at all. For exactly how it reads input, see the page For your IT person.

In the way a raindrop can fill a swimming pool. The "A pound of fat" milestone takes about a year of working days. Please also go outside.

No. Input is counted on its own lightweight thread. On Windows, Deskercise uses a fraction of a percent of CPU while you work, does nothing at all while you're idle, and asks Windows 11 to run it in Efficiency mode when its window is closed.

A PC with Windows 10 or 11 (64-bit), or a Mac with macOS 14 or later, and a mouse or trackpad. On Windows, the download is about 72 MB, and it installs just for your user account, in your own user folder.

On a Mac, trackpad distance is estimated from how far the pointer moves, because macOS doesn't share a trackpad's raw movement. On Windows, Deskercise counts any pointing device that reports movement the way a mouse does, and calibrates each one separately. Pens and touchscreens report positions instead, so only their clicks and scrolling count. Typing counts the same everywhere.

Your key arrives with your receipt. Paste it into Deskercise once: it's checked with our store and then the app works offline, no account needed. It quietly re-checks about once a month, and a failed connection never locks you out. A key activates on up to 3 of your computers, and you can move it with Deactivate this PC (on a Mac, Deactivate this Mac) in Settings.

Only to activate. After that, Deskercise keeps counting with no internet at all: the monthly license check is skipped quietly when it can't connect, and it never locks you out. If our servers ever went away, the app would keep counting on your computer. Only The Desk League would stop.

Optional standings for members. Pick a username in the app, then start a private mini league with your team or friends (share its invite code, or invite people by username), join the worldwide board, or both. Being on the worldwide board is optional: you can play only in your mini leagues, and you can keep out of username search. Whoever starts a mini league picks Friends, where everyone sees calories, keystrokes, clicks and mouse distance, or Office, where everyone sees calories only. They see nothing extra themselves; they can remove people and make a new invite code. Every board is scored at 154 lb, so it's fair. The League gets your username and daily totals, never what you typed or which keys. Leave from the app anytime and your League data is erased. If you never join, nothing is shared.

Your numbers stay in files on your computer. Nobody, including your employer, sees them unless you join the League: then the members of your mini leagues see them, and so does everyone if you're on the worldwide board (that's optional). In an Office league, coworkers see each other's calories only. If your IT team needs to approve it, send them For your IT person: how it reads input, every network destination, where data lives, and how to turn off the League and updates by policy.

The Windows installer and every update are code-signed by [PUBLISHER NAME], so Windows shows that name as the publisher. While Deskercise is new, Windows may still show a blue "Windows protected your PC" box: click More info and check that the publisher is [PUBLISHER NAME]. If it says "Unknown publisher" or any other name, don't run it, and email us at contact@deskerciseapp.com instead. The Mac app is notarized by Apple.

Yes, free, for as long as we make them. On Windows they download in the background and install the next time Deskercise restarts, like a good spotter. You can turn that off in Settings. The Mac app doesn't update itself yet.

Deskercise reads input the way any app can, through the standard input APIs (Raw Input on Windows, IOKit HID on a Mac). It doesn't inject anything into games, hook them or read their memory. It hasn't been tested against every anti-cheat system, so we can't promise none will ever object. If one does, exit Deskercise from its tray icon while you play (on a Mac, Quit Deskercise in the menu bar): Pause stops the counting, Exit stops the app.

On Windows: Settings → Apps → Installed apps → Deskercise → Uninstall (on Windows 10: Settings → Apps → Apps & features). Your stats stay in %AppData%\Deskercise in case you come back; delete that folder to remove them too. On a Mac: quit Deskercise from the menu bar, then drag it from Applications to the Trash. Your stats stay in ~/Library/Application Support/Deskercise until you delete that folder. If you joined The Desk League, choose Leave League in the app first: that's what erases your League data. No exit interview, no Gary.

Recommended. Not required.

Yes. Deskercise runs on macOS 14 or later and lives in your menu bar. During setup, macOS asks you to allow Input Monitoring: it's the permission any app needs to notice a key press. Deskercise uses it to count presses and read your mouse's sensor, never to record which keys, and it never asks for Accessibility. After a quick restart of the app, it starts counting. On a trackpad, distance is estimated. The Mac app doesn't update itself yet.

Yes. If Deskercise isn't for you, email us within 30 days of buying for a full refund. No hard feelings.

Yes. The gift & team pack is five separate license keys on one receipt, for $9.99. Each key is a full license for one person, with its own League username. The keys come with your receipt and stay in Polar's customer portal (the link is in your receipt email). Send one to each person, and they paste it into Deskercise like anyone else. For an invoice, tick I'm purchasing as a business at checkout and add the company name and tax ID. The PDF invoice is in the same portal, where you can also add or fix those details later. Need keys for more than five people? Buy another pack, or email us at contact@deskerciseapp.com about a bigger one.