Privacy Policy

Last updated: July 7, 2026

Vault Notes is a local-first notes application for desktop and mobile devices. This policy explains what information the app accesses, why, and how it is handled. In plain terms: your notes are yours, they live on your device and in your own Google Drive, and we do not operate servers that store or read them.

Who this policy covers

This policy applies to the Vault Notes desktop app (macOS and Windows), the Vault Notes mobile app (iOS and iPadOS), and this website. Throughout, "Vault Notes," "we," and "us" refer to the developer of the app; "you" refers to the person using it.

The short version

Vault Notes works fully offline. Signing in and syncing are optional.
Your notes are stored as ordinary files on your device and, if you enable sync, in a folder inside your own Google Drive.
We have no server that stores, receives, or reads your notes. The app talks directly to Google Drive using your account.
We do not sell your data, show ads, run analytics on your content, or use your notes to train any AI or machine-learning system.

Information the app accesses

Basic Google account information. When you choose to sign in, Google provides the app with your name, email address, and profile picture. This is used only to show which account is signed in and to authorize access to your Google Drive. It is stored locally on your device and is not transmitted to us.

Google Drive — limited to the files the app manages. If you enable sync, Vault Notes requests the drive.file scope. This scope grants access only to files that the app itself creates or that you explicitly open with it. Vault Notes uses this to keep your notes and their attachments in a single Vault Notes folder in your Drive. The app cannot see, read, or access any other files in your Google Drive — only its own.

How your information is used

Account and Drive access are used for one purpose: to store your notes and attachments in your Google Drive and keep them in sync across your devices. That is the entire function. We do not use your information for advertising, profiling, or any secondary purpose.

Where your data lives

On your device: your notes are plain markdown files and attachments in local storage.
In your Google Drive: if sync is enabled, a copy is stored in a folder within your own Drive account, under your control.
Authentication tokens: the credentials that let the app access your Drive are stored securely on your device (using the operating system's secure storage) and are never sent to us.

We do not run a backend that holds your notes. There is no Vault Notes database of your content.

Sharing and disclosure

We do not sell, rent, or share your personal information or note content with third parties. The only third party involved is Google, and only to the extent required to authenticate you and store files in your own Drive at your direction.

Google API Services — Limited Use

Vault Notes' use and transfer to any other app of information received from Google APIs will adhere to the Google API Services User Data Policy, including the Limited Use requirements. We only request the narrowest scope needed (drive.file), we use Google user data solely to provide and improve the app's sync feature, and we do not transfer or use this data for advertising, credit assessment, or to train generalized AI/ML models.

Data retention and deletion

Because your data is stored on your own device and in your own Google Drive, you remain in control of it at all times. You can:

Delete individual notes or attachments from within the app at any time.
Revoke the app's access to your Google account at any time from your Google Account permissions page. This immediately cuts off the app's ability to access your Drive.
Delete the Vault Notes folder from your Google Drive to remove the synced copy, and uninstall the app to remove local copies.

Children's privacy

Vault Notes is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from them.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. Material changes will be reflected by updating the "Last updated" date above and, where appropriate, noting the change on this page.

Contact

Questions about this policy or your data? Email support@vault-notes.app.