Privacy Policy

Overview

Trace is a screenshot overlay tool for macOS. It captures the screen content beneath its window so you can compare images pixel-by-pixel. All processing happens locally on your device. Trace has no servers, no accounts, and no network activity.

Data We Do Not Collect

Trace does not collect, transmit, store remotely, or share any of the following:

• Personal information or identifiers
• Screen content or captured screenshots
• Clipboard contents
• Usage analytics or telemetry
• Crash reports
• Location data
• Any other data about you or your device

Screen Recording Permission

Trace requests Screen Recording permission (via macOS Privacy & Security settings) to capture the area of the screen beneath its overlay window. This captured content is displayed locally within the app only. It is never written to disk beyond your session, never transmitted anywhere, and never used for any purpose other than displaying the comparison overlay you requested.

Clipboard Access

Trace can read from and write to the system clipboard (NSPasteboard). It reads the clipboard only when you explicitly paste an image into Trace, and writes to it only when you explicitly copy a screenshot out. Trace does not monitor the clipboard in the background or read it for any other purpose.

Local Preferences

App preferences — such as window opacity, dark mode, and whether tips are shown — are saved to a JSON file at ~/Library/Application Support/Trace/settings.json on your Mac. This file never leaves your device.

Third-Party SDKs & Frameworks

Trace contains no third-party analytics, advertising, or crash-reporting frameworks. It uses only Apple system frameworks (AppKit, ScreenCaptureKit, SwiftUI).

Updates

Updates are delivered through the Mac App Store, managed entirely by Apple. Trace itself makes no network requests to check for or download updates.

Contact

If you have questions about this privacy policy, please reach out at [email protected].