Contacting Support

Question not answered? If you have questions about OmniFocus, or if you'd just like to share some feedback with us, we'd love to hear from you. The best way to contact us is by using the Send Feedback item in the Help menu within OmniFocus.

Otherwise, you can send email to OmniFocus@omnigroup.com. We'll do our best to get back to you as soon as possible.

OmniFocus for Mac Frequently Asked Questions

Here are answers to some of the frequently asked questions about OmniFocus for Mac culled by our Support Team from the volumes of mail we receive. If you don't see your question here please feel free to ask our Support Ninjas. You may also want to check the forums to see if your question has been answered there.

OmniFocus for iPhone Frequently Asked Questions

Here are answers to some of the frequently asked questions about OmniFocus for iPhone culled by our Support Team from the volumes of mail we receive. If you don't see your question here please feel free to ask our Support Ninjas. You may also want to check the forums to see if your question has been answered there.

OmniFocus for iPhone Syncing
OmniFocus Troubleshooting

If you are having problems with OmniFocus, please check our troubleshooting page.

And now the answers!

Is there a discount if I buy OmniFocus for Mac and OmniFocus for iPhone?

OmniFocus for Mac and OmniFocus for iPhone are separate products, with lots of independent work going into each one. We're generally quite happy to offer bundle pricing for products purchased through our own online store, but there's no way to do that when selling through the App Store. We've tried to make sure that each product is priced reasonably as its own independent product, and we hope you'll agree that both products become even more valuable when you use them together.

Last Updated on July 23, 2008

Does it work on the original iPhone? What about the iPhone 3G or 3GS?

Yep, all three generations of iPhone work perfectly fine. Of course, synchronization over the 3G network will be much faster, and GPS can help OmniFocus find your location more accurately on the more recent phones.

Last Updated on July 13, 2009

What features of OmniFocus for Mac aren't available in OmniFocus for iPhone? Are those features coming later?

OmniFocus 1.5.1 for iPhone supports many features of the desktop application, including repeating tasks, breaking down tasks into subtasks, organizing projects into folders, search, copy and paste, and many features that weren't present in v1.0.  However, there are still some features on the desktop which would be nice to have on the phone:

There are other desktop features which we are currently impractical to implement on the iPhone due to limitations of the iPhone SDK.  These include support for clipping text from other applications and automatically generating links back to the source, syncing with the system's to-do list, time-based notifications, and Spotlight support.

Last Updated on July 13, 2009

Do I have to pay for OmniFocus 1.5 for Mac if I already own version 1.0?

Version 1.5, like all minor updates from the Omni Group, is free.

Last Updated on October 16, 2008

Do I have to use Apple's MobileMe service to sync OmniFocus for iPhone version with the desktop version?

Nope! OmniFocus can use Bonjour to stay in sync over a common wireless network. However, you do lose the ability to sync when you're away from the network so be sure to sync when you return to it.

Last Updated on November 20, 2008

I have an existing document. How do I set up syncing?

Last Updated on November 20, 2008

WebDAV? What's that? It sounds charming and sophisticated.

WebDAV is a common type of server for sharing files on the web. Basically, it's a way to read and write files on a web server but it is sophisticated and often complicated to set up. Many web hosting services support WebDAV; check with your hosting provider to find out whether you can set up your own WebDAV space.

Due to the nature and differences between each WebDAV server, we are unable to troubleshoot individual WebDAV issues but we are working on making local syncing easier.

Last Updated on July 23, 2008

Can I use a different MobileMe account than the one set up in my System Preferences?

Sure! At the moment this is something of a workaround. In the WebDAV preference pane, enter this location, replacing the username and path with your own:

Last Updated on July 23, 2008

What's the value of synchronization if I only ever use OmniFocus on one device? Can I back up my data if I don't have OmniFocus for Mac?

Syncing with WebDAV provides you with one more place that your data is backed up. iTunes backs up your data once a week (or when you manually request it), and you'll need to restore the entire phone, not just OmniFocus, to get your data back. But OmniFocus can sync with WebDAV automatically every time you make changes, so your backup will be current.

Last Updated on July 23, 2008

How often does OmniFocus sync? Do I have to sync it manually every time?

OmniFocus for iPhone automatically syncs one minute after you make a change, to make sure that the MobileMe (or WebDAV) server has an up-to-date copy of your database. OmniFocus for Mac does the same, plus both will sync once an hour in case another device made some changes recently. If the applications have not been running and the hour has elapsed, it will sync on launch. Whenever you like, you can manually make a sync happen, as well.

Last Updated on July 13, 2009

OmniFocus claims that my database has been reverted & I need to choose either the server copy or the local copy. What should I do?

Check that you are running OmniFocus 1.0.2 or later on the iPhone or iPod touch, and a version of OmniFocus on the Macintosh more recent than July 24, 2008 as those versions fix a bug that was causing this problem to be hit fairly frequently for some people.

If you're using a newer release of OmniFocus and are seeing this message when you don't think you should be, please email the support ninjas and we'll be happy to help.

Last Updated on July 13, 2009

What can I do if my OmniFocus database seems to be growing without bound?

If you have syncing available, try resetting the database on the sync server by making sure that you have a client that is fully-synced, then moving aside the OmniFocus.ofocus file on your iDisk (the remote copy - not a locally-synced iDisk) or WebDAV server, then syncing again with that fully-synced client, to push all the data back.

If that does not help, try performing a backup in OmniFocus on the Mac (after making sure that it is fully synced), then restoring from that backup, and then resetting the database as described above.

Last Updated on August 11, 2008

What does it mean if I'm seeing an "Unable to lock Document. Another application has the OmniFocus document locked" error?

Try logging out and back in, or if that does not work, rebooting. This will clear up any issues if a second copy of OmniFocus is somehow running, causing a conflict with the lock on the database.

If that does not help and you are sure that there is not another instance of OmniFocus that is currently running and thus legitimately has the database locked, locate your OmniFocus database in ~/Library/Application Support/OmniFocus and look for a file there with a ".lock" filename extension. Delete this file and relaunch OmniFocus.

Last Updated on August 11, 2008

Synchronization seems really slow, or isn't completing. Can I do anything to fix this?

Make sure that you have a release of OmniFocus from August 4, 2008 or later as we made some significant improvements to the syncing performance at that time. On the Macintosh, these improvements were introduced in 1.5 sneaky-peek 77.9.0.103681, and on the iPhone and iPod touch the improvements are in 1.0.3.

If you make changes on two different clients without syncing in between, the next sync can be much slower as OmniFocus has to do a lot of extra work to merge the multiple sets of changes. (If changes have only been made on one client, they can be merged much more efficiently.) This can be especially noticeable if OmniFocus on an iPhone or iPod touch is the next client to sync, because these devices are much slower than a Mac. To minimize this problem, try to make sure that changes get synced to the server before you leave one device (syncs happen automatically one minute after you make a change, or you can manually initiate a sync), and that you sync down any new changes before making changes on a second device.

If you used OmniFocus 1.0 for Mac before upgrading to the 1.5 sneaky-peek, your database might still have a complete history of every change you have ever made due to bugs in some earlier sneaky peek builds. Make sure you have everything you need on your primary device, then remove the old sync database from your sync server to reset it, then sync to it from your primary device to create a fresh sync database. Sync once more to make sure everything is working, then go ahead and start adding other devices.

If your database is very large you might consider archiving some of the older data. This will make it faster to merge in synced changes. Archiving is currently only available via the Mac version of OmniFocus: you can archive older actions which have been completed or dropped by selecting "Move Old Data to Archive" from the "File" menu. There is an option in that same menu for opening the archive so that you can reference it later if necessary.

Last Updated on October 16, 2008

Synchronization does not seem to work; what should I do?

Make sure that you have a release of OmniFocus from August 4, 2008 or later as we made some significant fixes to the syncing behavior at that time. (For reference, this bug had to do with derived attributes, such as an action's start or due date being passed.) On the Macintosh, these improvements were introduced in 1.1 sneaky-peek 77.9.0.103681 (1.1 has since been renamed to 1.5). On the iPhone and iPod touch the improvements are in 1.0.3.

If actions you add or modify on the phone are not showing up on the Macintosh, your filter settings may be hiding them. Try going to the Perspectives menu and choosing the built-in "All Items" perspective.

If you have iDisk Sync turned on in the MobileMe tab of System Preferences, try turning it off. Some users have reported problems when they had iDisk Sync turned on which went away when they turned it off. Otherwise, be sure not to touch the copy of the OmniFocus database on the synced copy of your iDisk, as this will certainly conflict with the syncing that OmniFocus performs. Similarly, make sure that you do not have OmniFocus syncing directly to a locally-synced iDisk (via the Disk option in OmniFocus sync preferences).

If you still think there is a problem with your synchronization, try the following steps to make sure:

  1. Perform a sync on the Mac or device where you made the changes. On a Mac this means clicking the Sync button in the toolbar or choosing Synchronize with Server from the File menu. On iPhone this means tapping the Sync button in the center of the toolbar. When that sync is done, perform a sync on the other side. If you still don't see the changes, move on to the next step.
  2. Make sure your filter settings aren't hiding the changes you made; on the Mac, choose All Items from the Perspectives menu to make sure you're not missing anything. On iPhone, try changing your Settings to show "All Items" in the projects screen, and then navigate to the project that you changed.
  3. If that still didn't work, you might have some disconnected transactions or other residue in your database. Open the sync location and rename your database to something else, like "OmniFocus-aside.ofocus". Sync from one copy of OmniFocus to put its database on the server. Then sync from the other copy, and choose to use the server copy. Now your two databases should be in sync, and things should go smoothly.
  4. If you still have any problems, you may have found a bug. Contact omnifocus@omnigroup.com and we will help you track it down.

Last Updated on October 16, 2008

My synced actions are showing up in iCal, but not on my iPhone/iPod; what's going on?

Check that you have OmniFocus 1.5 (or later) on your Macintosh. At least version 1.5 is required for syncing with iPhones, iPods, and OmniFocus on other computers. 

If you are running OmniFocus 1.5 on your Macintosh, check to make sure that you have configured your MobileMe or WebDAV syncing preferences. This is separate from iCal syncing preferences. Both are configured via the OmniFocus preferences panel.

Last Updated on July 13, 2009

Why is OmniFocus repeatedly asking for my MobileMe / WebDAV login info?

Check that you are entering the correct user name and password, with the correct case. Passwords are always case-sensitive, and some servers treat the user names as case-sensitive as well.

Try canceling out of the sync setup screen, then start over.

Last Updated on August 11, 2008

What does it mean if OmniFocus refuses to connect to a WebDAV server with an "untrusted certificate"?

Check that you are using OmniFocus 1.0.2 or later as we fixed a bug related to this at that time.

Last Updated on August 11, 2008

What does a 403 "Forbidden" error mean when I try to sync?

This indicates that you have authenticated successfully (your account and password are correct), but there is some other problem.

Make sure that you have plenty of space left on your iDisk or WebDAV server. For most people, a few megabytes is enough, but if you have lots of attachments or an especially large database, you may need more space.

Check the document path specified in sync preferences. If it is incomplete or misspelled, this error may occur.

Check the user permissions on the sync server. Certain WebDAV accounts especially may be configured incorrectly, or may be configured for read-only access from some accounts.

Your MobileMe or WebDAV configuration may have changed in such a way that OmniFocus does not realize that it needs to ask you for updated login information. We will attempt to work around this in the future by prompting you for updated credentials. In the meantime, a workaround is to temporarily change your WebDAV password; this will cause the WebDAV server to send a different error message which OmniFocus will recognize as meaning that we need to prompt for updated credentials. Or, if OmniFocus is configured to use mac.com for syncing, try switching to me.com.

Last Updated on August 11, 2008

I get an error 404 when trying to sync via WebDAV hosted on Microsoft IIS 6.0 - can I do anything about this?

We have had a report that in order to get syncing working on IIS 6.0-hosted WebDAV, you have to configure IIS to add a MIME type of "Text" for files with the ".client" extension. (These are the files OmniFocus uses to identify the different clients which sync with a given database.) We can not vouch for these instructions, but if you wish to try it, here are the steps that the user told us worked for them:

  1. Go in to the IIS management tool (inetmgr)
  2. Open the properties for the corresponding web site
  3. Select the "HTTP Header" tab
  4. Click on the button at the bottom labeled "MIME Types"
  5. Add a new MIME type of "Text" for the extension ".client"

Last Updated on July 13, 2009

The synchronization preferences pane does not look anything like the one described in the documentation. What next?

You are probably not using the newest version of OmniFocus. Visit our site for the latest OmniFocus release.

Last Updated on July 13, 2009

Why are the controls in the Sync preferences pane are disabled/greyed out?

Make sure that you have at least one window open showing your OmniFocus database. If there are no open windows, the database is not open, and the preferences for syncing the database will be disabled.

If you have multiple OmniFocus databases open (such as your normal database and your archive file or a backup), make sure that the main database window has focus. If a window for a different database has focus, the preferences for syncing will be disabled.

Make sure that OmniFocus is not in the middle of a sync. While syncing, the preferences for syncing are disabled.

Make sure that the username for MobileMe (set in System Preferences) or WebDAV (set in OmniFocus sync preferences) is spelled correctly and has the correct case. MobileMe and other services may allow you to log in with mismatched case in the username, yet disallow further activity. For example, if your user name is JohnSmith, make sure you enter that, not "johnsmith".

Last Updated on August 13, 2008

I tried these troubleshooting suggestions but they did not help. What should I do next?

You can often get help from other OmniFocus users on our discussion forums at http://forums.omnigroup.com/.

If you are still having problems after trying these troubleshooting steps, please contact our support department at omnifocus@omnigroup.com.

Last Updated on August 13, 2008

What should I do if I need to uninstall?

Like most Mac OS X applications, our products can be uninstalled by simply dragging the icon to the trash. Once you empty the trash, the application is gone from your computer. Like Jeff Goldblum says, "There is no step three!".

Last Updated on July 13, 2009

How long should sync take?

Our goal is to have sync (no matter what method you've chosen) take no more than 30 seconds. Keep in mind that some factors are out of our control; if the iDisk servers are having a bad day, for example, we can't fix that. However, if you're syncing frequently and consistently seeing longer sync times, please contact our Support Ninjas so they can lend a hand.

Last Updated on August 21, 2009

OmniFocus for iPhone: When's it coming?

The app store has now launched. You can get OmniFocus for iPhone by visiting the iPhone App Store.

Last Updated on July 13, 2009

What does it cost?

OmniFocus for iPhone is $19.99.

Last Updated on July 23, 2008

Is there a discount if I buy OmniFocus for Mac and OmniFocus for iPhone?

OmniFocus for Mac and OmniFocus for iPhone are separate products, with lots of independent work going into each one. We're generally quite happy to offer bundle pricing for products purchased through our own online store, but there's no way to do that when selling through the App Store. We've tried to make sure that each product is priced reasonably as its own independent product, and we hope you'll agree that both products become even more valuable when you use them together.

Last Updated on July 23, 2008

Will OmniFocus work with iPod touch?

Certainly! OmniFocus works the same way on iPod touch as it does on iPhone, except for the things that are impossible there: taking a photo, recording audio, and using the cell network or GPS to find your geographic location. OmniFocus on iPod touch can still try to find your location using Wi-Fi, though.

Last Updated on July 23, 2008

Does it work on the original iPhone? What about the iPhone 3G or 3GS?

Yep, all three generations of iPhone work perfectly fine. Of course, synchronization over the 3G network will be much faster, and GPS can help OmniFocus find your location more accurately on the more recent phones.

Last Updated on July 13, 2009

If I have more than one iPhone or iPod touch, how many copies of OmniFocus for iPhone do I need?

Just one; similar to music or iPod game purchases, one license covers any device you personally use and control, up to a limit of five devices. Note that this is determined by the App Store Terms and Conditions.

Last Updated on July 23, 2008

Do I need OmniFocus for Mac?

OmniFocus can work perfectly fine on your mobile device all by itself. You can create a fully usable database, and then enter, edit, and complete items. Of course, doing really involved editing of large amounts of data is easier on the desktop, but by no means do you need it. If you only have OmniFocus for iPhone or for Mac, at any time you can get the other one and start synchronizing between the two.

Last Updated on July 23, 2008

What features of OmniFocus for Mac aren't available in OmniFocus for iPhone? Are those features coming later?

OmniFocus 1.5.1 for iPhone supports many features of the desktop application, including repeating tasks, breaking down tasks into subtasks, organizing projects into folders, search, copy and paste, and many features that weren't present in v1.0.  However, there are still some features on the desktop which would be nice to have on the phone:

There are other desktop features which we are currently impractical to implement on the iPhone due to limitations of the iPhone SDK.  These include support for clipping text from other applications and automatically generating links back to the source, syncing with the system's to-do list, time-based notifications, and Spotlight support.

Last Updated on July 13, 2009

Do I have to pay for future updates?

The App Store policy and the longstanding Omni Group policy agree: minor updates should be free. Of course, if there is a major overhaul of the application with lots of shiny new features, we may release it as a new product, and that would cost money. But bug fixes, minor features, and miscellaneous polishing come at no cost.

Last Updated on July 23, 2008

Why don't you have sync over the USB cable, or timed alerts, or color-coded badges on the app icon, or rich text, or [other obviously useful but absent feature]?

These are all limitations of the iPhone platform, not design choices. The platform is still very young, and we're already thrilled with what we can do, but if Apple wants to open up these features to us, we will be more than happy to take advantage of them.

Last Updated on July 23, 2008

Is OmniFocus going to support Push notifications?

We absolutely do want notifications in OmniFocus, we just want them to be time-based rather than push-based (so they'll work when offline).

To that end, we've implemented calendar-based notifications for the next OmniFocus for iPhone release for those who are syncing via MobileMe or WebDAV. We create a WebDAV calendar on your iDisk or WebDAV server and tell the Calendar application on your phone or iPod to subscribe to that calendar. 

When the appointed time rolls around, the Calendar app on the phone or iPod will present the alert. You need network access when you sync, but it's not required to get your alerts.

Last Updated on July 13, 2009

How do I update OmniFocus for iPhone?

You can update OmniFocus for iPhone from within the App Store on your iPhone or by logging into your account in the iTunes Store on your desktop and syncing to iTunes once it has downloaded the update.

Last Updated on November 10, 2008

I see there is an update available; Why can't I install it?

Some updates of OmniFocus for iPhone require the most recent version of the iPhone Operating System. You can check to make sure you're up-to-date by selecting your iPhone under Devices in iTunes, selecting the Summary pane, and choosing Check for Updates.

Last Updated on October 20, 2008

Is there any way to take a screenshot on the iPhone?

Last Updated on July 13, 2009

I don't have a Mac. Will OmniFocus play well with my Windows PC?

iTunes on Windows does back up the data on your iPhone when you plug it in, which might save you in case something untoward happens. But if that's not enough reassurance for you, it might be worth synchronizing with MobileMe or a WebDAV server, if only to have a live copy of your database that lives somewhere other than on your crash-susceptible and stealable mobile device. We do not have plans for a Windows version of OmniFocus at this time.

Last Updated on November 20, 2008

The colored due item indicators are not always updating correctly on OmniFocus for the iPhone

Check that you are using OmniFocus 1.0.2 or later as we fixed a bug related to this at that time.

Last Updated on August 11, 2008

Synchronization seems really slow, or isn't completing. Can I do anything to fix this?

Make sure that you have a release of OmniFocus from August 4, 2008 or later as we made some significant improvements to the syncing performance at that time. On the Macintosh, these improvements were introduced in 1.5 sneaky-peek 77.9.0.103681, and on the iPhone and iPod touch the improvements are in 1.0.3.

If you make changes on two different clients without syncing in between, the next sync can be much slower as OmniFocus has to do a lot of extra work to merge the multiple sets of changes. (If changes have only been made on one client, they can be merged much more efficiently.) This can be especially noticeable if OmniFocus on an iPhone or iPod touch is the next client to sync, because these devices are much slower than a Mac. To minimize this problem, try to make sure that changes get synced to the server before you leave one device (syncs happen automatically one minute after you make a change, or you can manually initiate a sync), and that you sync down any new changes before making changes on a second device.

If you used OmniFocus 1.0 for Mac before upgrading to the 1.5 sneaky-peek, your database might still have a complete history of every change you have ever made due to bugs in some earlier sneaky peek builds. Make sure you have everything you need on your primary device, then remove the old sync database from your sync server to reset it, then sync to it from your primary device to create a fresh sync database. Sync once more to make sure everything is working, then go ahead and start adding other devices.

If your database is very large you might consider archiving some of the older data. This will make it faster to merge in synced changes. Archiving is currently only available via the Mac version of OmniFocus: you can archive older actions which have been completed or dropped by selecting "Move Old Data to Archive" from the "File" menu. There is an option in that same menu for opening the archive so that you can reference it later if necessary.

Last Updated on October 16, 2008

I'm having trouble setting up Synchronization in OmniFocus for iPhone 1.5 under iPhone OS 3.0. Can you help?

There's currently a bug in OmniFocus for iPhone that may prevent you from successfully entering your credentials when syncing. To get around it when setting up synchronization:

  1. On the first launch screen, choose "Make New Database" (counter-intuitive, right?)
  2. Go to settings and set up sync as normal. 
  3. Go back to the home screen, and if sync is spinning without prompting for a username and password, quit OmniFocus. 
  4. Relaunch OmniFocus, press sync and you should be prompted for a username/password.

Last Updated on June 26, 2009

Can I merge the documents on my phone and Desktop later?

If you have two separate databases that started out on different devices, they can't be automatically merged together. So if you already have an OmniFocus database on your Mac, and you start using OmniFocus for iPhone (or vice versa), you should set up synchronization right away.

If you already have two separate databases, you can copy and paste from one to the other to manually merge them.

  1. Back up your database in OmniFocus for Mac.
  2. Set up syncing for OmniFocus for iPhone if you haven't already.
  3. Sync OmniFocus for iPhone, choosing to keep the local database.
  4. Set up syncing for OmniFocus for Mac if you haven't already.
  5. Sync OmniFocus for Mac, choosing to keep the server database. Your two devices should now be in sync, now you just need to copy your tasks across.
  6. In the Finder, double-click on the backup you made earlier to open it. Now you should have both OmniFocus databases side-by-side.
  7. Drag or copy and paste anything you want to keep from your backup document.

Last Updated on July 13, 2009

Do I have to use Apple's MobileMe service to sync OmniFocus for iPhone version with the desktop version?

Nope! OmniFocus can use Bonjour to stay in sync over a common wireless network. However, you do lose the ability to sync when you're away from the network so be sure to sync when you return to it.

Last Updated on November 20, 2008

I have an existing document. How do I set up syncing?

Last Updated on November 20, 2008

WebDAV? What's that? It sounds charming and sophisticated.

WebDAV is a common type of server for sharing files on the web. Basically, it's a way to read and write files on a web server but it is sophisticated and often complicated to set up. Many web hosting services support WebDAV; check with your hosting provider to find out whether you can set up your own WebDAV space.

Due to the nature and differences between each WebDAV server, we are unable to troubleshoot individual WebDAV issues but we are working on making local syncing easier.

Last Updated on July 23, 2008

Can I use a different MobileMe account than the one set up in my System Preferences?

Sure! At the moment this is something of a workaround. In the WebDAV preference pane, enter this location, replacing the username and path with your own:

Last Updated on July 23, 2008

What's the value of synchronization if I only ever use OmniFocus on one device? Can I back up my data if I don't have OmniFocus for Mac?

Syncing with WebDAV provides you with one more place that your data is backed up. iTunes backs up your data once a week (or when you manually request it), and you'll need to restore the entire phone, not just OmniFocus, to get your data back. But OmniFocus can sync with WebDAV automatically every time you make changes, so your backup will be current.

Last Updated on July 23, 2008

How often does OmniFocus sync? Do I have to sync it manually every time?

OmniFocus for iPhone automatically syncs one minute after you make a change, to make sure that the MobileMe (or WebDAV) server has an up-to-date copy of your database. OmniFocus for Mac does the same, plus both will sync once an hour in case another device made some changes recently. If the applications have not been running and the hour has elapsed, it will sync on launch. Whenever you like, you can manually make a sync happen, as well.

Last Updated on July 13, 2009

I'm having trouble setting up Synchronization in OmniFocus for iPhone 1.5 under iPhone OS 3.0. Can you help?

There's currently a bug in OmniFocus for iPhone that may prevent you from successfully entering your credentials when syncing. To get around it when setting up synchronization:

  1. On the first launch screen, choose "Make New Database" (counter-intuitive, right?)
  2. Go to settings and set up sync as normal. 
  3. Go back to the home screen, and if sync is spinning without prompting for a username and password, quit OmniFocus. 
  4. Relaunch OmniFocus, press sync and you should be prompted for a username/password.

Last Updated on June 26, 2009

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