Privacy and security

catu keeps what you capture on your Mac. Something leaves your Mac only when you choose to share it, and then it is encrypted first.

What stays on your Mac#

Everything the Mac app does happens on your Mac. Nothing below is uploaded, and the app sends no analytics, crash reports or usage data to anyone.

• Clipboard history is kept in the app’s memory and is gone when catu quits. If you turn on “Save history on this Mac”, it is kept encrypted on your Mac instead. See Save your history. If you turn on “Sync clipboard to catu.app”, your last copies are uploaded encrypted end to end, with a key only your devices hold. See Your clipboard on every device.
• Screenshots are saved in your Pictures folder, in catu screenshots.noindex.
• Recordings are saved in your Movies folder, in catu recordings.noindex.
• Text from the screen is recognised on your Mac.
• Dictation is turned into text on your Mac and tidied by Apple Intelligence on your Mac. No audio is kept, and nothing is uploaded.

The “.noindex” ending keeps these folders out of Spotlight.

The one exception is a recording made with Recordings go: “To catu while recording”. That recording is encrypted and uploaded as you record, so its link is ready when you stop. A copy stays on your Mac too.

Keep passwords out of your history#

catu leaves out what looks like a secret:

• Copies from password managers are never recorded. They are listed in the Mac app under Settings › Privacy › Never record copies from. Add other apps with “Add App…”.
• Text shaped like a key (API keys, tokens, private keys) is skipped from every app. It still pastes normally.
• Private mode stops catu recording anything you copy. Press ⌥⇧⌘P or Option-click the menu-bar icon. It turns itself off when the Mac restarts.

To remove what is already there, choose “Forget Last Copy” or “Clear History…” from the catu menu. More in Clipboard history.

Save your history#

1. Open catu’s Settings and choose General.
2. Turn on “Save history on this Mac”.
3. Click “Save History” to confirm.

Your history now survives restarts. It is encrypted with a key kept in your keychain, and it is left out of Spotlight and Time Machine. It never leaves your Mac.

Turn the setting off to delete the saved file and its key. Your current history stays until catu quits.

What is uploaded when you share#

Sharing needs an account and the Web app plan. When you share a screenshot or a recording:

1. catu encrypts the file on your Mac.
2. It uploads the encrypted file. Only the part of catu that shares has access to the internet.
3. The file is stored encrypted, in the European Union.

catu.app keeps each clip’s key, locked with a key of its own, so your Library opens on any device you sign in on. This also means catu can open a clip when it has to: to show a preview when you paste a link into a chat app, to quote a comment in an email to you, or to remove content that breaks the terms. catu does not look at your clips otherwise, does not sell data, shows no ads, and uses your content only to run the service for you and the people you share with.

Anyone who has a link can open it, unless you add a password. Delete a clip in your Library and its link stops working at once.

Passwords on links#

A password means only people who know it can open the clip. catu never stores the password itself. You can add, change or remove it at any time, and the link stays the same. See Passwords, expiry and downloads.

When a link with a password is pasted into a chat app or an email, the preview shows only that a clip was shared, not its title or picture.

What view statistics show#

For each clip you share, your Library shows how often it was opened and when. For each view, you see only the viewer’s country and kind of device, such as a phone or a computer.

catu never records who opened a link, their address or anything that identifies them. If you have First view emails on, you get one email when a clip is first opened, with the same two facts. See Your account and emails.

People who open your links need no account. Clip pages set no tracking cookies and run no analytics. A guest who comments gets a random identifier in their own browser, so they can edit or remove their comments later. It is not linked to anything else.

Visits to catu.app#

catu.app counts its own page visits to see how many people come and from where. It keeps the page, the site you came from, your country and whether you used a phone or a computer.

• It sets no cookie for this and does not keep your address.
• Pages that show a shared clip are not counted.
• If your browser sends “Do Not Track”, you are not counted at all.
• Nothing is passed to anyone else.

When you are signed in, catu.app uses one cookie to keep you signed in. There are no third-party cookies.

Delete your data#

• Clipboard history: choose “Clear History…” from the catu menu. To delete a saved history, turn off “Save history on this Mac”. Synced copies go with “Clear all” on the Library’s Clipboard page, or when you turn off “Sync clipboard to catu.app” and choose “Stop and Delete Synced Copies”.
• Screenshots and recordings on your Mac: delete them in Finder. catu does not keep other copies.
• A shared clip: delete it in your Library. A clip whose link expired stays there until you delete it.
• Your account: write to privacy@catu.app. Deleting it removes every clip and comment with it. See Delete your account.

You can also ask for a copy of your data, or have it corrected, at the same address.

The full policy#

This page is a summary. The full details, including who helps run catu and your rights under the GDPR, are in the privacy policy. The rules for using catu are in the terms of service.

Questions about your data go to privacy@catu.app.

If something doesn't work#

• A password still appeared in your history. Add the app you copied it from under Settings › Privacy › Never record copies from, then choose “Forget Last Copy” from the catu menu.
• Your history is gone after a restart. History lasts only until catu quits unless “Save history on this Mac” is on in Settings › General.
• Your history is not recording anything. Private mode may be on. The menu-bar icon shows a crossed-out eye; press ⌥⇧⌘P to turn it off.
• A link preview in a chat app shows your clip’s picture. That happens for links without a password. Add a password before you paste a link if you do not want a preview.