Data we do not collect
MenuUtils does not collect, aggregate, sell, share, or transmit:
- Personal identifiers (name, email, account details)
- Device identifiers or advertising identifiers
- Usage analytics or product telemetry
- Crash reports (none are uploaded by the app)
- Location data
- Contact or calendar data
- Any information about you to any third party
The app has no accounts, no login, no advertising, and no third-party analytics or tracking SDKs.
Data stored locally on your Mac
Some features store data on your Mac so they can function. This data never leaves your device:
| Feature | What is stored | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Clipboard Manager | Clipboard history entries you copy | On-device SQLite database (GRDB) |
| Meeting Transcription | Transcripts, session metadata, and separate audio recordings of your microphone, system audio, or imported files | Files in the app's Application Support folder |
| Speech models | Speech recognition and speaker separation models you download | On-device model cache |
| Preferences | Theme, per-module enablement, settings | UserDefaults |
| Impact ledger | Aggregate counts (GB saved, items processed) | On-device storage |
The Clipboard Manager and Meeting Transcription features can hold sensitive content (for example, text you copy, or meeting audio you transcribe). This content is processed and stored only on your Mac. You can delete it at any time from within each module — deleting a meeting removes both its transcript and its audio recordings.
On-device processing
All processing happens on your Mac:
- Speech recognition in Meeting Transcription runs locally. Your microphone and your Mac's system audio are captured as separate tracks, then transcribed with Apple's Speech framework (with on-device recognition required) or with Parakeet models running on your Mac through Core ML. Speaker separation also runs locally. Audio and transcripts are never sent to a server.
- Imported recordings are copied into the meeting's local archive (audio only — video frames are not kept) and transcribed the same way.
- File inspection (App Uninstaller, Xcode Cleaner) only looks at application bundles, their support files, and Xcode developer folders. In the Mac App Store edition, it can only read folders you explicitly grant through macOS security-scoped bookmarks. In the direct download, deeper scanning uses the optional Full Disk Access and App Management permissions described below.
- Network Monitor reads per-app byte counters from the macOS
nettoptool to show which apps use the network. It never inspects the content of your traffic. - Keyboard Cleaner (direct download) sees key events only to block them and to recognize your unlock shortcut. Keystrokes are not recorded or stored.
- Menu Bar Hider (direct download, macOS 27) reads where menu bar icons sit so the right ones are hidden. Nothing about those icons or their apps is stored or sent anywhere.
Permissions the app requests
MenuUtils requests these macOS permissions, each for a specific purpose:
| Permission | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Microphone | Capture your side of a conversation for meeting transcription |
| System Audio Recording | Capture the other participants in a call for meeting transcription |
| Speech Recognition | Transcribe on-device with Apple's speech engine, including languages covered only by offline dictation |
| User-Selected File Access | Read and manage folders you choose (Mac App Store edition) |
| Full Disk Access (optional) | Find support files in protected Library locations (App Uninstaller, direct download) |
| App Management (optional) | Move selected application bundles to Trash (App Uninstaller, direct download) |
| Accessibility | Block keyboard input during a cleaning session or soft lock (Keyboard Cleaner), see where menu bar icons sit so the right ones are hidden (Menu Bar Hider), and the clipboard shortcut in the direct download |
| Login Items & Extensions (optional) | Approve the administrator helper that moves root-owned leftovers to your Trash (App Uninstaller, direct download) |
Each permission is requested only when you enable the relevant feature, and each can be revoked at any time in System Settings → Privacy & Security.
Required Reason API declarations
MenuUtils accesses a small number of macOS APIs that Apple requires to be declared in a privacy manifest (PrivacyInfo.xcprivacy). The approved reasons are:
- UserDefaults (
CA92.1) — storing the app's own preferences. - Disk space (
85F4.1) — displaying free and used disk space to you in System Monitor. - File timestamps (
DDA9.1,3B52.1) — showing and sorting by "last modified" in App Uninstaller, on files inside folders you granted access to.
None of the information accessed through these APIs is sent off-device.
Network connections
MenuUtils makes only the connections below. None of them send personal data, clipboard content, audio, or transcripts.
Speech model downloads
Apple Speech uses language assets that macOS downloads and manages from Apple. If you choose a Parakeet model, or turn on speaker identification, MenuUtils downloads the model files from Hugging Face when you first use them. These are standard HTTPS file downloads; like any web request, they reveal your IP address to the host. After a model is downloaded, it runs entirely on your Mac.
Software updates (direct-distribution build only)
The version of MenuUtils distributed directly from our website checks for updates using Sparkle. To check for updates, the app makes a standard HTTPS request to the update feed URL on our website. The only information exposed by this request is standard HTTP metadata (such as your IP address and a generic user-agent string) that any web request reveals to the host. No usage data, identifiers, or clipboard/transcript content is ever sent.
The Mac App Store version does not include this update mechanism; it updates through the App Store.
Children's privacy
MenuUtils is a developer/utility tool and is not directed at children. The app does not knowingly collect any data from anyone, including children.
Changes to this policy
If this policy changes, the updated version will be posted on this page with a new effective date. For significant changes, the app will link to the updated policy from within the app.
Contact
If you have questions about this privacy policy, contact:
MenuUtils
Email: [email protected]
This policy is mirrored in the app's Privacy Nutrition Label in App Store Connect and in the on-device privacy manifest. If any of these three ever disagree, the on-device behavior is authoritative.