Getting started · 4 min
Get recording in a minute.
APM Explorer lives in your menu bar and needs Input Monitoring to observe broad activity across macOS. It asks once, then stays quiet while you work.
Set up Input Monitoring
- Open APM Explorer from the menu bar.Look for the waveform icon. The menu explains whether recording is active and shows the last 12 hours of activity.
- Choose Allow Input Monitoring.macOS will show its permission flow. If it opens System Settings, enable APM Explorer under Privacy & Security → Input Monitoring.
- Return and choose Check Permission Again.If macOS says a relaunch is required, use Relaunch APMX. The status changes to “Allowed · Listening” when capture is ready.
- Optionally launch at login.Open Settings from the menu and enable “Launch APM Explorer at login” so coverage begins when you sign in.
Why this permission? macOS protects system-wide keyboard and pointer activity behind Input Monitoring. APM Explorer immediately reduces those signals into aggregate counts; it never stores their content or context.
Understand recording status
| Status | What it means |
|---|---|
| Allowed · Listening | Input Monitoring is granted and aggregate activity is being counted. |
| Permission required | The app remains usable, but new activity cannot be monitored. |
| Recording suspended | Capture is temporarily paused, such as during sleep or a locked user session. |
| Storage unavailable | The local database could not be opened. Recording pauses rather than risk misleading analytics. |
If permission does not update
- Open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Input Monitoring and confirm APM Explorer is enabled.
- Choose Check Permission Again from APM Explorer.
- If prompted, relaunch the app so macOS can apply the permission to the signed copy.
- If the app was rebuilt or replaced, macOS may treat it as a new copy and require permission again.