Privacy Policy

Effective 4 November 2026 · Applies to TypeInstead for macOS, version 1.0 and later

TypeInstead is a Mac app that watches for short triggers as you type and replaces them with content you have saved. Doing that means it sees your keystrokes, so this policy says plainly what happens to them.

Who we are

TypeInstead is made by Oleh Rybakov, Estoril, Portugal ("we", "us"). For anything in this policy, write to privacy@typeinstead.com.

What stays on your Mac

• Your snippets. Triggers, the text, links, phone numbers and file locations you save are kept in a plain file at ~/Library/Application Support/TypeInstead/snippets.json. Only you and apps you allow can read it. We never receive it.
• Your settings. Preferences such as which keys end a trigger, which apps are excluded and whether TypeInstead opens at login are stored in the app's own preferences on your Mac.
• Backups you make. When you use Back Up in the app, the file is written wherever you choose. We have no access to it.

Keystrokes

To notice a trigger, TypeInstead reads keyboard events through macOS's Accessibility permission. What this means in practice:

• Characters you type are held in memory only, and only long enough to compare them against your own saved triggers.
• They are never written to disk, never logged and never transmitted anywhere.
• The buffer is discarded as soon as it can no longer match a trigger, and is cleared when you click the mouse, press an arrow key or Escape, or use a keyboard shortcut.
• TypeInstead does not read the contents of documents, windows or fields. It only sees the keys you press while it is running.
• TypeInstead attempts to stay out of password fields: it stops when macOS turns on secure keyboard entry, and it skips fields an app marks as a secure text field. Some apps do neither, so treat this as a safeguard rather than a guarantee, and exclude any app you would rather it never saw.

Clipboard

macOS gives no reliable way to place rich content — a clickable link or a file — into another app directly, so TypeInstead puts the content on the clipboard, pastes it, and then restores whatever was on your clipboard before. The clipboard contents are used on your Mac only and are never sent anywhere.

Files

A file snippet stores the location of the file you picked, not a copy of it. The file is read only at the moment you expand that snippet, so it can be attached. Its contents are never sent anywhere.

Apple's on-device model

On macOS 26 and later, you can optionally ask TypeInstead to suggest other phrases for a snippet you are creating. The trigger you have typed is passed to Apple's on-device Foundation Models framework, which runs on your Mac. Nothing is sent to us, and this feature is never used while you type. Every other part of TypeInstead works without it.

Analytics and crash reports

Version 1.0 of TypeInstead sends no usage data and no crash reports. If we ever add anonymous usage statistics, they will be off until you turn them on, we will say on screen exactly what would be sent and to whom, and this policy will be updated before that version ships.

Purchase and distribution

TypeInstead is distributed and sold through Setapp, a service operated by MacPaw. When you buy or subscribe, Setapp is the seller: it handles your account, payment, invoices, refunds and app updates, and it is the controller of that data. We receive only aggregate sales and revenue reports, which do not identify you. Your dealings with Setapp are covered by Setapp's Privacy Policy and terms, not by this one.

So that Setapp can tell your licence is valid and show you release notes, TypeInstead includes the Setapp framework, which communicates with the Setapp app on your Mac. It is told that TypeInstead was used, not what you typed or what your snippets contain.

What we never do

• We do not sell, rent or share personal data, because we hold none.
• We do not build profiles, track you across apps or sites, or show advertising.
• We do not use third-party trackers or advertising SDKs in the app.
• TypeInstead does not download or run code from the internet.

Your rights

Data protection law, including the UK and EU GDPR, gives you rights to access, correct, delete and port your personal data, and to complain to a supervisory authority. Because we do not collect or hold personal data about you, there is nothing on our side to give you or erase: your snippets are files on your own Mac that you can read, change or delete yourself. For data held by Setapp as the seller — your account and payment details — please contact Setapp directly. If you write to us anyway, we will reply and explain where the data sits.

If you email us for support, we hold your message and address for as long as it takes to answer you and to keep a record of the exchange, and for no other purpose. Our legal basis is our legitimate interest in supporting the product.

Children

TypeInstead is not directed at children and we do not knowingly collect anything from anyone, of any age.

Changes

If this policy changes we will publish the new version here with a new effective date. Where a change affects what the app does with your data, the app will tell you before the change takes effect.

Contact

Questions, or a request about your data: privacy@typeinstead.com. Postal address: Estoril, Portugal. Governing law: Portugal.