Short version
TidyMerge does not collect or transmit any data about you. We can't lose or leak it, because we never have it.
We don't run any servers. We don't have an account system. We don't send analytics, tracking data, crash reports, or any other data over the network. The app does not require an internet connection to function.
Everything TidyMerge remembers — your settings, your workspaces, the folders you have open — stays on your PC as plain files you can open and read. The safest place for your data is the one place it already lives: your computer. There's no cloud to be breached and no online account to be hacked, so your TidyMerge data is kept exactly as safe as the rest of your files, by your own Windows sign-in.
What TidyMerge stores on your computer
TidyMerge writes the following files inside your user profile. None of these are transmitted anywhere.
| File / folder | Purpose |
|---|---|
%APPDATA%\UpDog Technologies\TidyMerge\settings.json |
Your settings (survivor policy, sort mode, hotkey, exclusion list, etc.) |
%APPDATA%\UpDog Technologies\TidyMerge\Workspaces\*.json |
Workspaces you create, one file per workspace |
%APPDATA%\UpDog Technologies\TidyMerge\stats.json |
Local usage counters for the tray's "Your stats" item and the optional monthly recap (e.g. how many merges you've run). Your own scoreboard — never transmitted |
%APPDATA%\UpDog Technologies\TidyMerge\closed-tabs.json |
The reopen-closed-tab history — the folder paths of your most recently closed tabs (up to 25), so Ctrl+Shift+T still works after a reboot |
%APPDATA%\UpDog Technologies\TidyMerge\last-session.json |
A snapshot of the folder paths you had open, so the tray can offer to restore them after a crash or reboot. Updated as your open set changes |
%LOCALAPPDATA%\UpDog Technologies\TidyMerge\last-run.log |
A diagnostic log of the most recent one-shot run (merge button, workspace restore), overwritten each run. Contains the folder paths seen during that run, the actions taken, and any errors |
%LOCALAPPDATA%\UpDog Technologies\TidyMerge\tray.log (and tray.old.log) |
The background tray service's diagnostic log — appended while the tray runs and rotated to tray.old.log at about 2 MB. Same kind of content as last-run.log: folder paths and actions |
%LOCALAPPDATA%\UpDog Technologies\TidyMerge\crash.log |
Written only if something goes wrong, to help diagnose a bug you choose to report. Does not exist unless TidyMerge has crashed |
HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run |
A registry entry to autostart the tray service at login (only if you opt in via Settings) |
You can delete any of these at any time. Uninstalling TidyMerge removes them automatically.
What TidyMerge reads from your computer
While running, TidyMerge enumerates currently open File Explorer windows (using the Shell.Application COM API that ships with Windows) to see their HWNDs and folder paths. This is required for it to merge them. The information is used in-process only — never written to disk except in the diagnostic log described above, never sent over the network.
Permissions and capabilities
- No admin rights required. The app runs as the current user.
- No network access. TidyMerge does not open sockets, make HTTP requests, or transmit data.
- No file content read. TidyMerge sees the paths of folders open in Explorer, not the contents of those folders.
Don't trust us — verify it yourself
Privacy claims are easy to make, so here is how to check ours. Total time: about two minutes.
- Watch the network. Open Resource Monitor (Win+R, type
resmon, Network tab) or Microsoft Sysinternals' free TCPView. Use TidyMerge normally — merge windows, open the switcher, save a workspace. You will see zero network connections fromTidyMerge.exe. Ever. - Block it and see. Add an outbound Windows Firewall rule blocking TidyMerge.exe entirely. Every feature keeps working, because nothing it does requires the internet. Software that phones home breaks when you do this. TidyMerge doesn't notice.
- Check what's on disk. Everything TidyMerge writes is listed in the table above, in plain text, in your own AppData folder — open the files and read them. No databases, nothing encoded, nothing hidden.
- Note what it never asks for. No account, no email, no admin rights, no payment details (Microsoft handles purchases — we never see your card). There is nothing to leak because nothing is collected.
To be clear about the website, separate from the app: the app itself has no transmit path — it never puts data on the network. Pages open in your browser only when you click them. If you choose to email us directly, your message is sent to us by email through our own web host — no third-party form service — and we use what you send only to reply to you. The optional in-app feedback survey likewise sends its answers as an email you compose and send.
If you sign up for launch or update emails on this site, we store your email address — on our own host, with no third-party mailing service — and use it only to email you about TidyMerge. No tracking pixels, and you can unsubscribe any time by replying to any message we send.
Children
TidyMerge is a productivity utility with no content rating concerns. We do not knowingly collect data from anyone, of any age.
Changes to this policy
If a future version starts collecting data — for example, opt-in crash reporting to help us catch bugs — we will update this document, change the version number, and surface the change clearly inside the app before the new version starts collecting anything. You will always have an opt-out.
Contact
Privacy questions or requests: support@updogtechnologies.com.