Data Retention & Privacy

TalkWriter is built with privacy at its core. You have full control over how long your dictation data is stored — and you can choose to retain nothing at all.

What Data Does TalkWriter Store?

Data Type	Stored?	Where
Transcribed text	Yes (configurable)	Locally on your Mac
Audio recordings	No	Never stored
Session metadata (timestamps, word counts)	Yes (configurable)	Locally on your Mac
Dictionary entries	Yes	Locally + cloud sync
Snippets	Yes	Locally + cloud sync
Analytics aggregates	Yes	Locally

info

TalkWriter never stores your audio. Speech is processed in real time, converted to text, and the audio stream is discarded immediately.

Retention Period Options

You can choose how long session data is kept. Go to Settings > Privacy:

Option	Retention Period
Extended	1 year
Standard (default)	90 days
Short	30 days
Minimal	7 days
Zero retention	Immediately after session ends

Zero Data Retention Mode

For maximum privacy, enable Zero Retention:

1. Open Settings > Privacy
2. Toggle Zero Data Retention to on

With zero retention enabled:

• Transcribed text is not saved after insertion into the target app
• No session history is recorded
• Analytics are disabled
• The Scratchpad works, but content is not preserved after closing

danger

Enabling zero retention permanently deletes all existing session history. Export any sessions you want to keep before turning this on.

Deleting Individual Sessions

1. Open Session History
2. Click the session
3. Click Delete
4. Confirm the deletion

Deleted sessions cannot be recovered.

Deleting All Data

To remove everything:

1. Open Settings > Privacy
2. Click Delete All Data
3. Confirm by typing DELETE in the dialog

This removes all session history, analytics data, and local dictionary cache. Your cloud-synced dictionary and snippets are preserved.

Where Data Lives on Disk

TalkWriter stores data in the standard macOS application support directory:

~/Library/Application Support/TalkWriter/

This folder is protected by macOS file permissions and accessible only to your user account.

Cloud Sync and Privacy

When signed in, the following syncs to TalkWriter's servers:

• Dictionary entries
• Snippets
• Account preferences

Session text and analytics do not sync to the cloud by default. Your dictated content stays on your Mac unless you explicitly enable cloud session backup.

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FAQ

Does TalkWriter sell or share my data? No. TalkWriter never sells, shares, or uses your dictation data for advertising.

Is my data encrypted? Local data is protected by macOS FileVault encryption. Data in transit uses TLS. Cloud-stored data is encrypted at rest.

Can I use TalkWriter in a HIPAA-compliant workflow? With zero data retention enabled and cloud sync disabled, TalkWriter processes audio locally without storing patient data. Consult your compliance team for specific requirements.

What happens if I uninstall TalkWriter? Uninstalling removes the app but may leave the Application Support folder. To fully remove all data, delete ~/Library/Application Support/TalkWriter/ after uninstalling.