Account and sync
Sign in to Diurnal, use it on several Macs and offline, understand Not syncing, and keep the app up to date.
Sign in
Diurnal needs an account. When it opens, click Get started, then:
- Continue with Google, which opens your browser; or
- Continue with email. To create an account, choose Create account, enter your name, email and a password of at least 8 characters, then type the six-digit code Diurnal emails you. Codes expire after 10 minutes; check spam, or send a new one.
One account can use both Google and a password.
Use several Macs
Sign in with the same account on each Mac. Your tasks, notes, tags, projects, history and account settings sync between them. Some settings, like the theme and shortcuts, stay on each Mac; see what follows you.
Work offline
Your tasks live on your Mac, so Diurnal opens and works without internet. Changes wait on your Mac and sync when you're back online.
Not syncing
If changes haven't reached your account for 10 minutes, Diurnal shows Not syncing with a Retry button. Nothing is lost: your changes wait on this Mac until sync works again. Hover it to see why:
- Can't reach the server: check your internet connection, then click Retry.
- Keychain: unlock your keychain and click Retry, or sign out and back in from Settings.
- If it keeps failing, tell us in Settings › Feedback.
Don't sign out while Not syncing shows: changes that haven't synced are lost when you sign out.
Updates
Diurnal checks for a new version every day and asks before installing it. To check now, choose Check for Updates… from the menu bar menu.
If your version is too old to sync, Diurnal shows Update Diurnal to continue. You're still signed in and your tasks are safe; click Update Diurnal, and they sync again once it's done.
Permissions
Diurnal only asks macOS for:
- Notifications, for reminders.
- Microphone and Speech Recognition, for voice capture, the first time you use it.
- Login Items, if you turn on Launch at login.
It never asks for your camera, screen, contacts, location, photos or full disk access. The full list is on Data & permissions.
Sign out or delete your account
See Account settings.