Why Hopper keeps your search on your Mac
Hopper reads a lot. To take you back to the exact tab, doc, chat or coding session, it has to know where those are. That only works if you can trust it with that, so here is exactly how it’s built.
Everything is searched on your Mac
Everything Hopper finds is read, stored and searched on this Mac. There’s no cloud copy of your tabs, docs or chats.
That goes for the clever parts too. The words in your screenshots are recognized with on-device text recognition. Agent status comes from each agent’s own files, with nothing installed into Claude Code, Codex or Cursor.
The careful option is the default
Every privacy choice is a switch in Settings ▸ Privacy, and it starts in the careful position:
- Personal apps start off. Messages, Apple Notes, Slack, Calendar, browser history and past agent sessions stay out of search until you turn them on.
- Clipboard History is opt-in. It skips anything your password manager marks as secret.
- Private windows stay private. Incognito and private browser windows never reach Hopper.
- Full Disk Access is optional. It helps Hopper search more apps. Without it, Hopper works with what it can already see.
You can take things back
- Exclude any app. It’s never indexed or recorded, and won’t appear in search, Back or Clipboard History.
- Choose how long history lasts. 30 days by default. Make it 7 or 90, or clear it whenever you like.
- Forget a pick. Hopper learns which result you choose for what you type. Reset Ranking from ⌘K forgets it.
Every privacy control is on one page.
The one exception
We’d rather say it than bury it. Hulu and Netflix tab titles don’t name the episode, so for those links Hopper fetches the public page, signed out and without cookies, to find the name. That’s it. Turn it off in Settings ▸ Privacy ▸ Online Lookups, and the saved names are deleted.
Why we built it this way
Hopper is free for every core feature, and it isn’t funded by your data. We don’t store it, so there’s nothing to sell, leak or lose.
Try it
Hopper is in private testing for macOS 26. Join the waitlist.
Questions people ask
Does Hopper send my data to a server?
No. Everything Hopper indexes is stored and searched on your Mac. The one exception is Online Lookups: for Hulu and Netflix links, Hopper fetches the public page, signed out and without cookies, to name the episode.
Can I stop Hopper from seeing an app?
Yes. Exclude any app in Settings ▸ Privacy. An excluded app is never indexed or recorded, won’t show up in search, Back or Clipboard History, and snippets never expand in it.
Is Clipboard History on by default?
No. It’s off until you turn it on, and it skips anything your password manager marks as secret.
Does Hopper need Full Disk Access?
No. Full Disk Access is optional. It lets Hopper search more apps; without it, Hopper works with what it can already see.
