This page explains exactly what that means. Every point here matches what Sweep's code does.
What Sweep connects to
Sweep connects to these places, and nothing else:
| Where | When | What's sent |
|---|---|---|
| Your email provider (Gmail, AOL, Yahoo, iCloud, or the server you enter) | While you use Sweep | Your sign-in, then requests to list, open and move your emails. Over an encrypted connection, straight from your computer. |
| Your email provider's outgoing mail server | Only when you unsubscribe from a sender that asks for an unsubscribe email | One short unsubscribe email, sent from your account to the address the sender gave. |
| A sender's unsubscribe address | Only when you click Unsubscribe, for senders that support one-click unsubscribe | The standard one-click unsubscribe request. Nothing about you beyond what the link itself contains. |
| Google's or Microsoft's sign-in service | Only if you use “Sign in with Google” or “Sign in with Microsoft” | The usual sign-in steps, so they can give Sweep permission to reach your mailbox. |
Two things happen in your web browser rather than in Sweep:
- Links you open (an unsubscribe page, a link in an email) open in your normal web browser.
- “Show images” in Sweep's email reader loads that email's pictures from the sender, like any email app. Until you click it, remote images are blocked, so senders can't tell you opened their email.
That's the complete list. Sweep has no accounts, no analytics, no tracking, no crash reporting, no advertising and no servers of its own. One part of Sweep's code handles every outside connection, and an automated test checks that nothing else can open one.
What Sweep keeps on your computer
| What | Where | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Senders you kept, unsubscribed from or protected, your History, your totals and trophies | A settings file in Sweep's folder* | So Sweep remembers your choices. History includes sender names and addresses, and the subject of an email or group you swept. |
| Your sign-in, only if you tick “Stay signed in” | Mac: your Keychain. Windows: a file encrypted by Windows so only your Windows account can read it | So you don't have to sign in every time. |
| Windows only: a log of problems, and the app window's settings | Sweep's folder* | So you can send a log if something goes wrong. It never contains passwords or email content. |
* Sweep's folder is ~/Library/Application Support/Sweep on a Mac and %APPDATA%\Sweep on Windows.
Sweep never saves the content of your emails. Emails you open are fetched from your provider, shown, and forgotten. Opening an email in Sweep doesn't mark it as read. Everything Sweep keeps stays on your computer.
What happens to your email
- Sweeping moves emails to your Trash (or Junk, if you choose). Sweep never permanently deletes anything. Until your provider empties Trash, you can get emails back with Sweep's Undo or from Trash yourself.
- Unsubscribing contacts the sender, as described above.
Removing everything
- Sign out of each account in Sweep, or click ✕ next to a saved account to forget it.
- Delete Sweep's folder (see above) to remove your history and settings.
- If you used Sign in with Google, you can also remove Sweep's access at myaccount.google.com/permissions.
- If you used Sign in with Microsoft with a personal account, remove Sweep at account.live.com/consent/Manage.
- If you made an app password for Sweep, delete it in your email account's security settings.
Google user data
Sweep's use of information received from Google APIs adheres to the Google API Services User Data Policy, including the Limited Use requirements. Gmail data is used only to show you your inbox and carry out the clean-up actions you choose. It is processed only on your computer, and is never transferred to Sweep's makers or to anyone else, used for advertising, or read by people.
This website
This website doesn't use cookies, analytics or trackers, and loads nothing from other sites.
Who we are
Sweep is made by Sweep Software Ltd, registered in England and Wales (company number 17562049), registered office 18 Disbrowe Road, London, W6 8QF.
Questions about privacy, or anything else: hello@sweep.software.