Keep monitoring running in the background

Understand how the tray, window, and login settings affect scheduled monitoring.

Last checked 21 August 2026

You do not need to leave the TechDash window visible. Closing the window keeps the desktop process running in the macOS menu bar or the Windows and Linux system tray. Scheduled page checks, site-resource work, lookups, Search Console jobs, and notifications can continue there.

Background monitoring still depends on this computer. It is not transferred to TechDash servers when the window closes.

Close the window without stopping checks

Use the normal window close control. The main window disappears, but the tray icon remains. Hovering over it can show one of these states:

  • TechDash: Monitoring in the background
  • TechDash: Waiting for internet
  • TechDash: Wi-Fi sign-in required

To reopen it:

  1. Select the TechDash tray icon.
  2. Choose Open TechDash.

Opening TechDash from Applications, the Start menu, or a shortcut also brings the existing single app instance forward.

Start monitoring after sign-in

Open Settings, find the Monitoring card, and keep Open at login On if this computer should launch TechDash automatically after sign-in. On supported operating systems, it requests a hidden launch.

This setting is On by default. It applies after a user signs in. TechDash cannot monitor while the computer is shut down, asleep, or signed out. Linux desktop environments handle login applications differently, so verify the tray icon after sign-in if you rely on Linux autostart.

Pause without quitting

Open the tray menu and select Pause all monitoring to pause every website without closing TechDash. The menu then changes to Resume all monitoring. Select it when checks should continue.

You can also pause an individual website from Websites. This does not pause the rest of the portfolio. A pause and a quit are different:

  • A pause keeps TechDash open but stops scheduling the affected websites.
  • Quit TechDash closes the app, browser resources, and local database connection. No new scheduled checks or desktop alerts run until TechDash opens again.

Other reasons checks can be delayed

  • Offline or captive connection: Work waits while connectivity is unavailable or a Wi-Fi sign-in page is detected.
  • Locked license: Unlinking, revoking, moving, or receiving a confirmed invalid license result stops monitoring queues.
  • Battery or locked screen: Page checks stretch to about twice their configured interval.
  • Large backlog: A large portfolio or aggressive frequencies can leave jobs waiting even though TechDash is running.
  • Per-page setting: A page can be disabled or use a slower frequency than the rest of the site.

Closing a laptop lid commonly puts the computer to sleep. A tray icon before sleep does not mean the app can keep crawling during sleep.

Verify background monitoring

  1. Open TechDash from the tray.
  2. Open Queue Status and confirm that queues and workers appear.
  3. Review waiting and active jobs for a backlog.
  4. Open Websites, select a site, then review Monitored Pages for its last-check times and frequencies.
  5. Check that the tray menu says Pause all monitoring, which means at least one website is active. If it says Resume all monitoring, every website is paused.

When the computer is online and due work exists, last-check times should advance. Some newly added pages may first store baselines rather than create incidents.

If every site remains stale, fully quit and reopen TechDash, then check Queue Status again. If only one site is stale, review that website's pause state, page enabled state, access credentials, and check frequency. Do not increase concurrency until you know whether work is paused, offline, or genuinely backlogged.

If checks remain stale after a full restart while the computer is awake and online, open Help & Support. Include the TechDash version, operating system, tray status, affected hostname, page Enabled and pause states, last-check text, and screenshots of Queue Status without credentials.

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