Effective date: July 5, 2026
HearthFind is a local-first utility that searches inside your files for a word or phrase. In plain words: your files, and everything the app reads from them to search, stay on your PC. We do not have a server that receives them, there are no accounts, and we do not sell or share your data.
To find your word, HearthFind reads the folders you choose and opens the files inside them to read their text, so it can tell you which files contain the word and exactly where. This includes reading inside documents (such as PDF, Word, Excel and PowerPoint), text and code files, and subtitle text, including subtitle tracks contained inside video files. It does this entirely on your own device, reads files only to search them, never changes them, and sends none of it to us.
To let you search the words spoken in a movie or series, HearthFind reads text subtitle tracks that are stored inside video files. It does this using a bundled copy of the open-source tool FFmpeg, which runs locally on your PC as a separate program. This involves no network activity and no data collection, and nothing about your videos is sent to us. FFmpeg is used under its own open-source license; see the app's About screen and Terms of Use for the attribution.
None. The app does not contain analytics, telemetry, usage tracking, advertising identifiers, or crash reporting that sends data to us. We do not build a profile of you and we do not receive your file names, file contents, search terms, IP address, or device identifiers.
You can delete any of the app's own data at any time. The "Clear history" option removes your recent
searches and folders. Uninstalling the app and deleting its data folder
(%LOCALAPPDATA%\HearthFind) removes the rest.
HearthFind is designed to work offline. The only network activity is the following, none of which sends us your files, your searches, or personal data:
The app contains no third-party advertising SDKs, no analytics SDKs, and no cross-app or cross-site tracking. The "More from Hearth" suggestions promote only our own apps and websites and do not profile you.
If you choose to email us (for support, feedback, or a bug report), we receive your email address and whatever you include in your message. We use them only to respond to you and to fix the issue, we do not add you to any mailing list, and we do not share them with anyone. You may ask us to delete the correspondence at any time.
The app is designed for data minimization: it processes your files only locally on your device, under your control, and we act as neither a controller nor a processor of any personal data on your behalf, because no personal data ever reaches us from the app. As we hold no data about you, requests to access, correct, port, restrict, object to, or erase data held by us have nothing to act on; you can exercise full control by editing or deleting the local files described above.
We do not collect, sell, or share personal information, and we have no personal information to disclose. "Sell" and "share" are used here as defined by California law. There is nothing to opt out of because no data is collected.
The app is a general-purpose utility and is not directed at children. Because we do not collect personal information, we do not knowingly collect personal information from children.
Because your data stays with you, its security depends primarily on your own device, accounts, and disks. No method of storage is completely secure, and you are responsible for securing your own device and your backups.
We may update this policy as the app evolves. When we do, we will change the effective date above and post the updated policy at this URL.
For privacy questions, contact us at support@hearth-software.com or iam@nirnagar.com.