Windows
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- Intro to oDesk Team: Video
- What is the oDesk Team application?
- What are the system requirements for Windows?
- How do I download the oDesk Team app?
- How do I install the oDesk Team app?
- How do I log time with the app's Time Tracker tool?
- What preferences can I control?
- I got a virus warning. Is the oDesk Team app safe?
- I have a problem with the app. How do I get help?
The oDesk Team application is a free suite of tools to help you create a virtual office on your desktop. It has four primary tools and a variety of additional features to make your work life on oDesk easier. (Download now.)
Tools
- Team Room: See who's working, what they're doing, and chat in real time.
- Time Tracker: Log time to your Work Diary.
- Screensnap: Take, upload, annotate and share screenshots.
- ShortURL: Shorten URLs to share.
Features
- Memo: Tell the employer what you're working on.
- Meter: View time/earnings on hourly contracts.
- Camera: Enable webcam snapshots while logging time.
- Cache: Continue logging time even when your connection is interrupted.
- Error Log: Help our support reps to better diagnose any problems.
The oDesk Team application is available for Windows, Mac and Linux/Unix. Download yours - free - today!
Do you have the latest version of the oDesk Team desktop application? To ensure you can continue recording time and collaborating with your team, download now. Old versions of oDesk Team no longer work. Learn more on the forum.
The oDesk Team application requires Windows XP or higher. A stable internet connection is necessary for logging time on contracts.
Click the link below to download the oDesk Team application. It will take you to the oDesk Downloads page. For best results, be logged in as an Admin, turn off anti-virus software (until fully installed), and download using Firefox.
Some of our users use multiple computers and operating systems. Read more about the oDesk Team applications for Mac and Linux/Unix.
- Download the oDesk Team application installation package (a .exe file). Save the file somewhere you'll easily find it — like your desktop or downloads folder. For best results, be logged in as an Admin, download using Firefox, and turn off anti-virus software (until fully installed).
- Double-click on the successfully-downloaded oDeskSetup.exe file to run the installer. When the installer opens, review the oDesk License Agreement and press Install.
- The installer will download and install the necessary file. When you see the Installation complete screen, you're ready to Launch oDesk Team and get to work!
To install on a portable external drive, press the Options button in step 2 above and select Portable installation. Then proceed as usual.
You cannot log in with the app's Time Tracker tool unless you have a contract or team room access. But logging in is not necessary to familiarize yourself with the menu options and set your preferences (and therefore take and pass the oDesk Readiness Test).
You must log all your time on hourly contracts with the oDesk Team application to qualify for our guaranteed payment. But don't worry; it's easy. Just press Start when you begin working and Stop when you're done.
- Close any windows that aren't work-related. Screenshots will be randomly posted to your Work Diary six times an hour. Contractors, employers and all other team members can view your Work Diary.
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Select the oDesk Team application icon in Windows Start menu. If you added the oDesk Team application to your task bar, you may click the icon there instead.
- Log in with your oDesk username and password.
- Select the contract's Team from the drop down and press Start
- Enter a Memo in the box that pops up and press the OK button. You can also set how long it will be until this box pops up again.
- When you're done working, press the Stop button. You should check your Work Diary daily and remove any inappropriate time.
The Time Tracker is used to log time to your Work Diary. (Learn more about the Time Tracker, what is does and does not record, and memos.)
You don't need to log time on fixed-price contracts. You can if you so choose, but the hours will not be included in reports or your profile.
You will need an active contract (or team membership) to activate the Time Tracker. You can check your contract status and start-date in My Jobs > contracts. Still can't log in? Confirm that you can connect to https://team.odesk.com using your browser and then use the option in the app's Help menu to Submit a help ticket.
The oDesk Team app, and especially the Time Tracker, are intended for use with a stable Internet connection. For best results, please avoid working under caching mode whenever possible. Please do not use it as a long-term solution for an inadequate Internet connection.
In the event of a connection failure, be sure to upload the cache prior to locking of the week's Work Diary. (Learn more about the weekly work schedule.)
We encourage you to explore all the app's preferences and menus to become more familiar with your options.
- Enable or disable the option to Launch at system startup and Sign in on launch.
- Change what clicking on the system tray icon will do (control the Time Tracker, show/hide the Team Room window). Right-clicking the system tray icon always opens the menu.
- Enable or disable the status notifications. Each status type can be controlled individually. We recommend you leave all notifications enabled - you have your choice of Dialog or Balloon style for each.
- Set defaults for handling Reminders, session suspensions and memos.
- Enable or disable your computer's camera. It is on by default if you have an available webcam. (More about the app's camera feature.) There's also a Minicam option so you can constantly monitor how you appear on camera (including what's going on behind you).
- Change your Screensnap settings.
- Customize your Hotkeys.
- Many other small appearance and management tweaks are available - too many to list here, so have a look for yourself in Tools > Preferences
The oDesk Team app uses various Windows API technologies to capture and record screen shots. Some virus scans will mistake this capturing and transmitting of information as potential spyware or malware. We assure you that the information collected by the oDesk Team app is kept private between you and those you work with on oDesk, and that the oDesk Team app poses no security threat to your computer system.
If you receive an error message, think you've found a bug, or otherwise require technical support, please use the app's Help > Submit a Support Ticket feature. Be as descriptive as possible - you may want to include a screensnap to help illustrate the issue. We also encourage you to include your log file with the ticket for a faster resolution.
Answers to most questions can be found on this page. You can also visit the community forums to ask for advice.
