Overview
InputVis ("InputVis", "the app", "we", "us", or "our") is a macOS menu bar app that displays your mouse clicks and keystrokes on screen while you record or present. This Privacy Policy explains what the app accesses on your Mac, what stays on your device, and the limited data we collect to operate and improve the product.
The short version: the keystrokes and mouse activity InputVis visualizes stay on your Mac. They are processed in memory to draw the on-screen overlay. We also collect a small amount of anonymous usage analytics, described below.
What InputVis accesses on your Mac
To draw the overlay, InputVis observes system input events while a visualizer is running:
- Keyboard events — the virtual key code, modifier keys (⌘, ⌃, ⌥, ⇧), and a timestamp for each key press and release.
- Mouse events — the cursor position and whether the left or right button is pressed.
InputVis uses a macOS event tap in listen-only mode, observing input events solely to display them. Monitoring is active only while a visualizer is turned on and stops as soon as you turn it off.
How input data is handled
- Processed in memory only. Key codes and cursor data are held temporarily to render the overlay and a short on-screen history.
- Kept on your device. This input data stays on your Mac.
- Cleared when you stop. The in-memory event history is discarded when you turn the visualizer off.
To draw keycaps, InputVis maps key codes to display labels (for example, "A", "Return", or "⌘") at the moment the overlay is drawn, using your current keyboard layout.
Permissions InputVis requests
- Input Monitoring — required so the app can observe your clicks and keystrokes to show them on screen. macOS prompts you to grant this in System Settings, and you can revoke it at any time.
Information we collect
Anonymous usage analytics
InputVis collects limited, anonymous product analytics to understand how features are used and to improve the app. We use PostHog for this. Analytics events are associated with a randomly generated, anonymous identifier stored locally on your device.
Examples of the events we collect:
- Which settings tab you open.
- Whether a review prompt is shown, opened, or dismissed.
- When feedback is submitted (see below).
Feedback you send
If you choose to send feedback from within the app, the text you write (up to the first 1,000 characters) is included in an analytics event so we can read and act on it. Please avoid including sensitive personal information in feedback messages. A copy may also be written to your Mac's local system log on your own device.
Settings and preferences
Your preferences — such as overlay style, size, position, history options, and whether visualizers are active — are stored locally on your device using the standard macOS preferences system. These settings stay on your Mac.
Purchases
If you buy the optional one-time upgrade to remove the watermark, the transaction is handled entirely by Apple through the App Store using StoreKit. Apple's handling of your purchase is governed by Apple's Privacy Policy.
How we use information
We use the limited information we collect to:
- Operate the app and provide its features.
- Understand which features are used so we can prioritize improvements.
- Read and respond to feedback you choose to send.
Third parties
- PostHog — anonymous product analytics. PostHog processes the analytics events described above on our behalf.
- Apple — App Store purchases, in-app review prompts, and standard macOS services.
Data retention
Input data is processed in memory only and is discarded when you stop a visualizer. Anonymous analytics events are retained by our analytics provider for as long as needed to understand product usage. Settings remain on your device until you change them or remove the app.
Your choices
- Revoke Input Monitoring at any time in System Settings → Privacy & Security → Input Monitoring. The visualizers will stop working until access is restored.
- Stop visualizing by turning the visualizers off, which halts all input monitoring.
- Remove the app to delete its local settings from your Mac.
Changes to this policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will revise the "Last updated" date at the top of this page.