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Privacy Policy

Last updated 10 August 2026

Matteshot is made by Southbound Software, the trading name of a sole proprietor based in Kentucky, USA. Southbound Software is the data controller for everything described here. You can reach us at [email protected].

This policy covers the Matteshot desktop application, the matteshot.app website, and the license.matteshot.app and share.matteshot.app services the app talks to. It is written to describe what the software actually does, so it names specific data rather than categories.

Local by default, with one exception you control

Your captures are yours. Capturing, styling, OCR, editing and export all happen on your own PC, and Matteshot never uploads a capture on its own initiative. There is exactly one way a capture leaves your machine, and it takes a deliberate click: the Share button, described in the next section.

Apart from a capture you choose to Share, the app does not upload, transmit, or store any of the following, and there is no setting that would make it do so:

Everything Matteshot produces is written to ordinary local files on your own PC. Nothing in that folder is uploaded unless you Share it.

Share

Share is the one feature that sends a capture off your PC. It appears in the editor on a licensed device and does nothing at all until you click it. When you do, for that one capture only:

Because a shared link is a public URL to anyone holding it, treat Share the way you would treat emailing the file: do not Share a capture containing anything you would not hand to the recipient. If you want an upload removed before its 30 days are up, email [email protected] with the link and we will delete it.

Usage analytics

The app reports anonymous usage events so we can see which features are used. Matteshot asks you about this the first time you run it, and sends nothing until you answer. You can change your mind at any time in Settings; switching it off stops all analytics immediately.

In the EU, EEA, UK and Switzerland the box is empty and analytics stay off unless you tick it. Elsewhere it starts ticked and you can untick it. If Windows does not report a region, we treat it as one where we should ask.

When it is on, the app sends one event for each of the following, and nothing else:

EventMeaning
matteshot_launchThe app started
matteshot_captureA capture completed
matteshot_trial_startedThe trial began
matteshot_license_activatedA license key was activated
matteshot_ocr_usedCopy-text was used
matteshot_editor_openedAn editor was opened
matteshot_record_completedA recording finished
matteshot_scroll_captureA scrolling capture completed
matteshot_failureSomething went wrong, so we can find out what breaks

Each event carries only the event name, the Matteshot version, the word "windows", your Windows build number (for example 26100), and a device identifier. The device identifier is a SHA-256 hash of your Windows machine GUID. It is not reversible into your name, email, hardware serial, or computer name.

The failure event carries two extra fields, both chosen from fixed lists: which operation failed (capture, record, scroll, overlay, or update) and a general reason (for example access_denied, network, disk, or other). The error message itself is never sent. Error text in Matteshot can contain file paths and window titles, so the app classifies a failure into one of those fixed labels and transmits only the label. A failure it does not recognize is reported as other rather than described.

Analytics are processed by PostHog, on servers in the United States.

Licensing and the trial

Licensing is not optional in the way analytics is, because it is how the software knows whether it is licensed. If you start the trial or activate a license, the app contacts license.matteshot.app and sends:

The server stores a record for your device containing the trial start date, and, if you have activated, an encrypted session and the email address attached to your purchase. Records are held in Cloudflare Workers KV.

Trial records are kept indefinitely, and some data survives uninstalling. The trial start date is tied to your device identifier so that reinstalling does not restart a 14-day trial. Matteshot also leaves two timestamps in the Windows registry under HKCU\Software\Southbound Software\Matteshot after uninstall, for the same reason. If you want these removed, email us and we will delete the server record; the registry values can be deleted by hand at any time.

Purchases

Payments are handled by our payment provider, which acts as merchant of record. They collect your name, email address, billing address, and payment details directly. We never see or store your card details.

From a completed order we receive your email address, your license key, and order metadata such as the order number and amount. The provider's handling of your data is governed by its own privacy policy, linked from the checkout.

The website

matteshot.app uses PostHog for page views and basic interaction analytics.

The site and our servers are behind Cloudflare, which processes connection data including your IP address in order to serve the site and protect it from abuse.

Updates

Matteshot checks matteshot.app for a version manifest and downloads updates from download.matteshot.app. These requests are ordinary web requests and are logged as such, including the requesting IP address. No identifier from the app is attached to them.

Who we share data with

We do not sell your data and we do not share it for advertising. Data reaches only the services needed to run the product:

ServiceWhat it handles
CloudflareWebsite hosting, license server, downloads, connection logs, and storage for captures you Share (30 days)
PostHogUsage and website analytics
Payment provider (merchant of record)Payments, invoicing, license key issuance

We will also disclose data where we are legally required to.

Your rights

You can ask us to tell you what we hold about you, correct it, delete it, or send you a copy. If you are in the EU, UK, or a US state with its own privacy law, those rights are yours by statute; we extend the same handling to everyone regardless of where you live.

Two things you can do without asking us: switch analytics off in Settings, and deactivate your license on a PC from Settings, which removes that device's activation.

For anything else, email [email protected]. To delete a device record we need the device identifier, which Settings can copy for you. We aim to respond within 30 days.

International transfers

We operate from the United States and our processors store data in the United States. If you use Matteshot from outside the US, your data is transferred there.

Children

Matteshot is not directed at children and we do not knowingly collect data from anyone under 16.

Changes

If this policy changes materially we will update the date at the top and, where the change affects data already collected, say so on the website. Continuing to use Matteshot after a change means the updated policy applies.