OmniFocus for Mac FAQ
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.
I just did an OS update, and now my Mail plugins are disabled. Can you issue an update?
We're sorry for the inconvenience this causes. We can't prevent Apple's system updates from doing this from time to time, but they're disabling Mail plugins automatically, not because they've actually detected any sort of problem.
You can work around this behavior by opening the Clippings pane of OmniFocus' preferences, and then using the button at the bottom of the pane to uninstall and reinstall the Clip-o-tron 3000. At that point, you should be back up and running.
What features of OmniFocus for Mac aren't available in OmniFocus for iPhone? Are those features coming later?
OmniFocus 1.7 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:
- Project-based custom perspectives (Context-based perspectives arrived in 1.6)
- Review dates for projects
There are other desktop features which 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.
Do I have to pay for OmniFocus 1.7.5 for Mac if I already own version 1.0?
Version 1.7.5, like all minor updates from the Omni Group, is free.
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.
OmniFocus can also use a WebDAV server to sync anywhere.
I have an existing document. How do I set up syncing?
- To sync with OmniFocus for iPhone, you'll need access to an iDisk or Bonjour. Check the Synchronizing Between Macs and Mobile Devices section of OmniFocus Help for step-by-step instructions.
- For advanced users, it is also possible to set up a WebDAV server to which OmniFocus can sync.
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.
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:
- https://idisk.me.com/username/Documents/
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 or iDisk 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.
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.
OmniFocus claims that my database has been reverted & I need to choose either the sync copy or the device copy. What should I do?
Check that you are running the latest version of OmniFocus on the iPhone or iPod touch, and an updated version of OmniFocus on the Macintosh, as the latest 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.
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.
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.
Synchronization seems really slow, or isn't completing. Can I do anything to fix this?
Make sure that you're using a recent version of OmniFocus. If the version number is below 1.7 on the Macintosh and 1.5 on the iPhone, you're missing out on some big sync improvements.
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 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.
Synchronization does not seem to work; what should I do?
Make sure that you're using a recent version of OmniFocus. If the version number is below 1.7.5 on the Macintosh and 1.7 on the iPhone, you're missing out on some big sync improvements.
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:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- If you still have any problems, you may have found a bug. Contact omnifocus@omnigroup.com and we will help you track it down.
My synced actions are showing up in iCal, but not on my iPhone/iPod; what's going on?
Check that you have OmniFocus 1.7.5 on your Macintosh. Syncing with iPhones, iPods, and OmniFocus on other computers was introduced in OmniFocus 1.5.
If you are running a sync-capable version of OmniFocus 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 Sync panel.
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.
What does it mean if OmniFocus refuses to connect to a WebDAV server with an "untrusted certificate"?
Check that you are using the latest version of OmniFocus for iPhone, 1.7, as an earlier version of OmniFocus had this bug.
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.
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:
- Go in to the IIS management tool (inetmgr)
- Open the properties for the corresponding web site
- Select the "HTTP Header" tab
- Click on the button at the bottom labeled "MIME Types"
- Add a new MIME type of "Text" for the extension ".client"
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.
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".
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.
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.
Licensing
Help! I upgraded/destroyed/forgot to back up my computer and lost my license! What can I do?
Just visit the Lost Licenses page to retrieve it. If this does not work for you, please send an email to sales@omnigroup.com.
Why won't it accept my license?
If you purchased your license through our online store:
Both the license key and license owner must be entered exactly as it was emailed to you. The key is linked to the owner so they both must match exactly to be accepted by the application. The license key should be a 23-character long string and does not contain numbers. If you need your license key sent to you again, you can use the Lost Licenses page to retrieve it. If you are still having trouble, please send an email to sales@omnigroup.com.If you purchased a retail boxed copy:
Please double check you entered the license key exactly as given to you. The license key should be a 23-character long string in the format of XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXX and does not contain numbers. If you are still having trouble, please send an email to sales@omnigroup.com. It is also recommended you register your license key with us so we can send it to you incase you misplace it.
Uninstall
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!".
