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WinClip Privacy Policy

Last updated: September 2026 (WinClip 2.2.0)

Summary

WinClip works on your device. It does not collect personal information, and it has no advertising or tracking. It goes online to check for updates and when you run an action that needs a web service. Versions after 2.1.2 check your license on your computer, with no connection. Anonymous usage statistics exist but are off unless you turn them on.

Data Collection

  • No personal information is gathered, sent to a server or shared
  • No advertising, cookies or tracking
  • No usage statistics unless you turn them on. They are off by default (see Usage Statistics below)
  • Clipboard contents stay on your device unless you run an action that sends them somewhere, listed under Network Connections

Clipboard Data

WinClip watches clipboard activity on your device to power its copy and paste gestures and text actions. Clipboard history keeps your most recent entries (100 by default) in %APPDATA%\WinClip\clipboard-history.json. Pinned items are kept in pinned-history.json and saved snippets in snippets.json in the same folder. These files never leave your computer, and deleting them removes the history.

Settings

Preferences live in %APPDATA%\WinClip\settings.json: theme, sounds, excluded apps, your license file (or, in 2.1.2 and earlier, your license key), a random device ID created on first run and, if you add them, your AI provider, endpoint and API key. The file stays on your device. The device ID is never sent anywhere.

Network Connections

WinClip makes network connections only in these cases:

  • Update checks: About ten seconds after launch, WinClip downloads a small file, https://winclip-updates.duncansmith.tech/latest.json, to see whether a new version exists. The request carries the WinClip version and nothing about you. If you choose to install an update, the installer downloads from the same address. Copies installed from the Microsoft Store skip this check because Windows updates them.
  • License validation: Versions after 2.1.2 make no network connection for licensing. You paste the license file from your purchase email, and WinClip checks its signature on your computer. WinClip 2.1.2 and earlier send your license key and WinClip's product ID to Gumroad (api.gumroad.com) when you activate a license and from time to time after that. Nothing else is sent. If the network is unavailable, a 30-day offline grace period applies.
  • AI actions: Summarize, Rephrase, Check Grammar, Expand and Custom Prompt send the text you selected to the AI provider you set up. With Ollama or LM Studio the text stays on your computer. With OpenAI or Anthropic it goes to their API using your own API key, under their privacy policies. On first launch, if you have not chosen a provider, WinClip checks whether Ollama or LM Studio is running on this computer. That check never leaves your machine.
  • Browser actions: Web Search, Translate, Define, QR Code and Share to Twitter/X open your default browser with the selected text in the address, so the text reaches that site: your chosen search engine, Google Translate, Dictionary.com, the QR code service at api.qrserver.com or X. Each one runs only when you start it.
  • Usage statistics (off by default): If you turn them on, WinClip tells Plausible Analytics the name of each action you run and the WinClip version. It never sends selected text, clipboard contents or results, and no identifier. In WinClip 2.2.0 and later the switch is in Settings, under General and then Preferences: "Share anonymous usage statistics". WinClip 2.1.2 and earlier have no switch, so there it is only on if EnableUsageTelemetry is set to true in settings.json.

No other network connections are made by WinClip itself.

Blip Integration

WinClip includes an optional integration with Blip for sending clipboard content to other devices. WinClip hands the text to the Blip app installed on your computer. No data is sent to WinClip servers. Blip's own privacy practices apply to data sent through Blip.

Extensions & Plugins

WinClip supports third-party extensions via its plugin SDK. Extensions run locally and are loaded from your filesystem. WinClip does not control or monitor what third-party extensions do, including any network connections they make. Review each extension's privacy practices before installing.

Third-Party Services

WinClip includes no advertising or tracking services. The optional usage statistics use Plausible Analytics, which does not use cookies. Services you reach through actions, such as your search engine or AI provider, handle your text under their own policies.

Children's Privacy

WinClip does not collect personal information from anyone, including children under the age of 13.

Changes to This Policy

If this policy changes, the updated version will be posted at this URL. Changes will be noted in the application changelog.

Contact

Questions about this policy can go to support@duncansmith.tech.