--- title: User Guide | MemoryLane description: Set up MemoryLane in 3 steps. About 5 minutes. url: https://trymemorylane.com/guide --- # Get Started with MemoryLane Set up MemoryLane in 3 steps. About 5 minutes. ## Step 1: Install ### Mac 1. Open the downloaded `.dmg` file (Individual) or `.pkg` file (Team). 2. Drag **MemoryLane** into your **Applications** folder (Individual) or follow the installer prompts (Team). 3. Open MemoryLane from Applications. 4. Grant **Screen Recording** and **Accessibility** permissions when prompted (System Settings > Privacy & Security). You may need to restart the app. Requires a Mac from 2020 or newer (Apple Silicon M1 chip or later). ### Windows 1. Double-click the downloaded `.exe` file (Individual) or `.msi` file (Team) and follow the prompts. 2. Open MemoryLane from the Start Menu or desktop shortcut. ### Security warnings This is normal. MemoryLane needs screen recording access to work. Your system is doing its job well by letting you know and requesting an approval. - **Mac:** If macOS says the app "can't be opened," right-click (or Control-click) the app and select **Open**. This only happens the first time. - **Windows:** You may see a blue popup saying "Windows protected your PC." This is a standard check for newly released apps. Click **More info**, then **Run anyway**. ### Team activation 1. After granting permissions, you'll see the Activate Device screen. 2. Paste the activation code from your email (starts with `tt_`). 3. Review and accept the consent document. 4. Click **Activate Device**. ## Step 2: Set privacy rules Apps and websites on your blacklist are excluded from capture. 1. Open **Settings** (gear icon, top right). 2. Go to **Exclude Apps** to block applications. 3. Go to **Exclude Websites** to block websites. Search for the app or website, flip the toggle. Changes apply immediately. ## Step 3: Start capture Press the green **Start Capture** button. --- ## Common Questions ### What does MemoryLane observe? - **Screenshots** at regular intervals (e.g. a snapshot of your Excel spreadsheet) - **On-screen text (OCR)** (e.g. "Q2 Budget Draft", "Sheet1 - Revenue", "=SUM(B2:B50)") - **Active window titles and app names** (e.g. "Microsoft Excel - Q2 Budget.xlsx") - **Time spent in each application** (e.g. 45 min Excel, 20 min Gmail, 10 min Slack) - **Tab and window switching patterns** (e.g. switched Excel and Gmail 12 times) ### How do I exclude an app or website from being captured? Open Settings (gear icon), go to **Exclude Apps** or **Exclude Websites**, search for the app, and flip the toggle. You can also use **Auto-fill from activity**: click Auto-fill, use the apps you want blocked for 2 minutes, then toggle the ones detected. ### What happens when a privacy rule matches? When you switch to a blocked app or website, capture pauses automatically and resumes when you leave. Privacy rules only match the window you're currently using. If a blocked app is visible in the background, it can still appear in screenshots. ### How do I pause or stop capture? Press **Stop Capture** in the app. MemoryLane won't restart capture on its own, so if you leave it off, no data will be collected the next day. Remember to turn it back on after a temporary pause. ### Where is my data stored? Only short text summaries and on-screen text (OCR) are saved locally on your computer. Screenshots are processed and immediately deleted. Nothing is stored on our servers. You can export your data: go to **Settings > Data** and click **Export Database (.zip)**. The export stays on your computer and won't be shared with anyone unless you send it yourself. **Team:** In the app's settings, you choose whether anything is shared with your company's admin dashboard. Options: Off (default, nothing leaves your device), Summary (activity summaries only), or Detailed (summaries and on-screen text). ### How do I update the app? **Individual:** Updates are automatic. When one is ready, you get a notification. Click it to restart and install. Missed it? Open the menu bar (Mac) or system tray (Windows) menu and click **Install Update Now (Restart)**. **Team:** Download the latest installer and run it again. Activation persists, no re-activation needed. ### How do I check my version? The version number appears in the menu bar (Mac) or system tray (Windows) menu as a **MemoryLane v0.xx.x** row. --- ## Analyzing Your Data You have two options: ### 1. In-app suggestions Built in. No setup needed. ### 2. AI-powered deep analysis (recommended) Reports, time audits, automation tips via Claude. Requires a [paid Claude account](https://claude.ai). One-time setup. #### Setup 1. **Connect Claude:** Open Settings > Connections & Data > Integrations, then connect Claude Cowork and/or Claude Code. No extra software needed. 2. **Add data analysis skills:** Skills teach Claude how to read your MemoryLane data like a professional data analyst. Copy and paste `deusXmachina-dev/memorylane` into the Marketplace plugin field. #### Available skills | Skill | Description | | ------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | `last-30-minutes` | Summarizes what you've been doing in the last 30 minutes. Quick recap, no analysis. | | `discover-patterns` | Lightweight process analysis. Finds repeated workflows and generates an HTML report. | | `pattern-to-pdf` | Lightweight PDF report from a detected pattern: process map, steps, frequency. | | `process-analyst-new` | Deep process analysis. Breaks down every repeated task with time and cost estimates. Most powerful skill. | | `report-new` | Turns process-analyst-new results into a shareable PDF report. | | `automation-instructions` | Step-by-step build instructions for automating a workflow in the tools and constraints you specify. | #### Quick analysis example First, try: ``` /discover-patterns in my data. I am a product operations executive in Acme, a pet food e-commerce store in the UK. My main responsibilities are to oversee our supply ordering workflows using Shopify, Netsuite ERP and Gmail, and customer support. ``` Then run: ``` /automation-instructions for n8n where possible and Claude Cowork where human involvement is needed. ``` #### Deep analysis example First, try: ``` /process-analyst-new I am a product operations executive in Acme, a pet food e-commerce store in the UK. My main responsibility is to oversee our supply ordering workflows using Shopify, Netsuite ERP and Gmail. The process starts by checking the status of our supplies in Shopify for each vendor on the Supplies page and ends when I hit Order for each supplier in Netsuite. ``` Then run: ``` /report-new build a report outlining the identified automation recommendations so I can present it at our next weekly standup. ``` Or: ``` /automation-instructions for n8n where possible and Claude Cowork where human involvement is needed. ``` ### Claude stopped working? If Claude or Cursor updates, the connection can break. Open Settings > Connections & Data > Integrations. If you see a **Reconnect** button, click it. --- Don't have time to analyze data? We can help. [Book a call](https://calendar.app.google/2rJgu2Ah3kWaMApG8). Email us at founders@trymemorylane.com