Effective date: July 3, 2026
HearthRescue is a local-first file-recovery app. In plain words: the drives you scan, the files it recovers, and everything the app learns about them 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 do its job, the app reads the drive, memory card, or folder you explicitly choose to scan. Recovering deleted files requires reading the raw contents of that drive, including areas that hold deleted data, which is why the app runs with Administrator permission. The app also lists recoverable items found in that drive's Recycle Bin; on a shared PC these can include items deleted by other user accounts, and they are shown only on your device, never sent anywhere. Image files may be read to show you a small preview. When you choose to recover, the app writes the files you selected to the destination you pick (normally a different drive, or, only if you explicitly confirm it, a recovery folder on the source drive), and may save next to them a small local report of where each recovered file originally came from. All of this happens on your own device. The app does not send any of this information to us.
The app includes an optional feature that, only at your explicit request and after a confirmation dialog, changes the Windows "delete notification" (TRIM) setting so that files deleted in the future remain recoverable for longer. This is a local Windows system setting: the app reads its current state locally in order to show it to you, changing it involves no network activity and no data collection, nothing about it is sent to us, and you can restore the Windows default from the same screen at any time.
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, folder paths, disk contents, IP address, or device identifiers.
The files you recover are written only to the location you choose. You can delete any of the
app's own data at any time. Uninstalling the app and deleting its data folder
(%LOCALAPPDATA%\HearthRescue) removes it.
HearthRescue is designed to work offline. The only network activity is the following, none of which sends us your files 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 drives and 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, the drive you recover to, 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.