TextSnap is a screen text recognition (OCR) app for macOS, developed by Nguyen Tam (a17lab). This Privacy Policy explains how TextSnap handles your information. The short version: TextSnap works entirely on your device, does not collect your personal information, and does not send your data to us or to any third party.
TextSnap processes the screen region you select entirely on your device using Apple's Vision framework to recognize text. We do not collect, store, transmit, or share the captured image or the recognized text. The recognized text is placed only on your clipboard and remains under your control. No screen content leaves your device, and we do not use any third-party or cloud service for text recognition.
The screen capture happens only when you actively trigger it (for example, by pressing Control + Option + T and dragging to select a region). TextSnap does not record your screen continuously or in the background. It reads only the region you select, only at the moment you request it, and only to recognize the text within it. The captured image itself is processed transiently in memory and is not written to disk or transmitted anywhere.
TextSnap does not require an account and does not ask for your name, email address, or any other personal information. We do not collect analytics, usage data, advertising identifiers, or device identifiers. We do not operate any server that receives data from the app.
Because we do not collect your information, we do not use it for any purpose. The text recognized from your screen is used only to place it on your system clipboard, so you can paste it wherever you choose. This processing happens entirely on your device.
We do not share, sell, or disclose any of your data to third parties, because the app does not collect or transmit your data. The captured screen content and the recognized text never leave your device through TextSnap.
TextSnap includes an optional "Save capture history" feature. When this option is enabled, the recognized text from your captures is stored locally on your device so you can search and reuse it later. This history is stored only on your device, is never transmitted to us or to any third party, and is fully under your control. You can turn the option off at any time, delete individual entries, or clear the entire history using "Clear All". The history contains recognized text only; it does not store the original captured images.
Text recognition is performed in memory on your device and the captured image is not retained. If you enable "Save capture history", the recognized text is stored locally on your device until you delete it or clear the history. None of this data is sent to or stored on any server operated by us, because the app does not transmit your data off the device.
On first use, macOS will ask you to grant Screen Recording permission. TextSnap requires this permission solely so it can read the screen region you select in order to recognize text. The permission is used only for the on-device text recognition described above. You can review or revoke this permission at any time in System Settings > Privacy & Security > Screen Recording.
TextSnap is not directed to children. Because the app does not collect personal information from anyone, it does not knowingly collect personal information from children.
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Any changes will be posted on this page with an updated revision date. Changes are effective once posted.
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, please contact us at [email protected].