Privacy

Last updated October 4, 2026

Spacebar is made by Beau Gunderson. Your files are previewed on your Mac, not uploaded to a server. The app has no advertising, tracking, analytics SDK, or separate Spacebar account.

Files and previews

Spacebar reads files you ask it to preview, including files passed to its Finder Quick Look extensions or the Preview in Spacebar Quick Action. It does not send their contents, names, or embedded location information to Beau or an analytics service. Previewing does not modify your original files.

Opening a file inside an archive can extract that member to a temporary file on your Mac. Video members remain available while the player needs them. Spacebar attempts to remove temporary members as you navigate back or close the preview, after associated work finishes. They may remain while extraction or playback is stopping, if cleanup fails, or if the app crashes or is forced to quit.

Video and audio playback uses macOS's own player or bundled libmpv and FFmpeg libraries, with local, read-only access to the selected file. Cover art, tags, and the waveform are read from that file and are not stored. Spacebar does not load network media, user player scripts or configuration, or automatically discover external subtitle and audio files. Standalone movies are played without creating a temporary converted movie.

The boundary maps are bundled with the app. Map previews do not request online tiles or send a track or photo's location to a map provider. Markdown images are not fetched from the internet.

The host app also reads metadata from installed application bundles to identify competing Quick Look extensions. That information is displayed locally and is not transmitted.

Local settings

Spacebar stores your theme and text-size choices, purchase access status, and trial start date on your Mac. Its app and Quick Look extensions share these settings through a local app-group container. These settings are not sent to a Spacebar server.

Trial and purchases

The free trial and one-time unlock use Apple's App Store and StoreKit. Starting or restoring a trial, loading prices, and purchasing or restoring the unlock involve Apple's services and may require an internet connection. Spacebar reads Apple's verified transaction information, including product identifiers and purchase or revocation dates, to determine access.

Spacebar does not receive your payment-card details or Apple Account password. Apple processes payments and may provide the developer with sales reports and diagnostics according to your system settings and Apple's policies. Spacebar does not include its own crash-reporting SDK. See Apple's privacy policy for Apple's handling of this information.

Support email

If you email for help, you choose what to share: your email address, message, and any attachments. That information is used to respond and investigate the issue and may be retained as support correspondence. Please do not send passwords, private keys, or sensitive files; a small redacted example is usually enough.

You can ask for support correspondence to be deleted by emailing the address below, subject to any applicable legal retention requirements.

This website

spacebar.tools has no advertising, analytics scripts, or tracking cookies added by us. It is hosted by Netlify, which receives normal request information such as your IP address, browser details, and the requested URL to deliver and protect the site. See Netlify's privacy policy. Opening an external link is governed by that website's privacy policy.

Changes and contact

This page will be updated if these practices change. The date above identifies the latest revision.

For privacy questions or requests, email beau@beaugunderson.com. For help using the app, see Spacebar support.