Uku: Privacy Policy
Last updated: November 4, 2026
Uku is a Markdown reader for Windows, macOS and Linux made by Dinar Garipov (“I”, “me”). This policy explains what happens to your information when you use Uku.
The short version: Uku does not collect any data. None.
- Your documents stay on your computer. Uku reads and edits the Markdown files and folders you open, where they are. Its settings, search index and logs are kept only on your computer too.
- Nothing about you or your documents is sent to me or to anyone else. Uku has no account, no analytics, no ads, no crash reporting and no tracking.
- Uku doesn’t connect to the internet unless you allow it. Automatic update checks and web images are both off by default. Uku goes online only when you click Check for Updates or turn one of these on yourself.
- I never see your documents or anything about you, and I have no way to.
Your documents stay on your computer
Uku opens the Markdown files and folders you choose, reads them where they are and, when you edit a document, saves it back to the same file. It doesn’t copy or upload your documents anywhere else. Diagrams, syntax highlighting and everything else on the page are drawn on your computer.
To let you search your workspace, Uku indexes the files in it. The index is built and kept on your computer and is never sent anywhere.
If your files are in a cloud folder such as iCloud Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive or a network drive, that service syncs them under its own privacy policy. That is your own choice and your own service: Uku only reads and writes the files on your computer, and I receive nothing from it.
What Uku keeps on your computer
Uku keeps a small settings file, its search index and, only when something goes wrong, log files, in its own folder:
| System | Folder |
|---|---|
| Windows | %LOCALAPPDATA%\Uku |
| macOS | ~/Library/Application Support/Uku |
| Linux | ~/.config/uku |
The settings hold your appearance and language choices, the window’s size and position, the folders of your workspace, the document you had open, your list of recent files and folders (their paths on your computer) and whether automatic update checks and web images are turned on. You can clear the recent list in the app (⋯ ▸ Recent ▸ Clear list). The search index holds the contents of the files in your workspace so that search is fast. Logs hold warnings and errors, which can include the paths of files Uku couldn’t read or save. None of this leaves your computer. Settings ▸ Advanced opens both folders; uninstalling Uku and deleting its folder removes everything it kept.
When you delete a file or folder in Uku’s sidebar, it goes to your system’s Trash or Recycle Bin, where you can restore it.
When Uku connects to the internet
Out of the box, Uku never connects to the internet. It goes online only for the two things below, and only when you choose to.
Update checks
Automatic update checks are off by default. Uku checks for updates only in two cases:
- When you click Check for Updates. Uku checks once, right then.
- When you turn on automatic update checks in Settings. Uku then checks once each time it starts, until you turn them off again.
To check, Uku reads its Releases page on GitHub to find out what the latest version is. Like any connection to a website, this reveals your IP address to GitHub. The request contains nothing about you or your documents, and I receive nothing from it.
Web images
Loading images from the web is off by default. Until you turn it on in Settings, Uku doesn’t download images that a document refers to on the web and shows a placeholder instead, so opening a document never tells a website that you read it.
If you turn it on, Uku downloads those images when you open the document. The websites hosting them can then see your IP address and that the image was requested. You can turn this off again at any time.
No analytics, no ads, no tracking
Uku contains no analytics, no advertising, no crash reporting, no telemetry, no usage statistics and no tracking of any kind. It connects to the internet only to check for updates or to load web images, and only when you’ve allowed it.
Because nothing is collected, there is nothing to sell, share, transfer, request access to or delete on my side.
Links
Web and email links in a document open in your browser or email app when you click them; other files open in the app your system uses for them. What happens on those websites and in those apps is up to them.
Children
Uku doesn’t collect information from anyone, including children.
Your rights
Data protection laws such as the GDPR give you rights over personal data that is processed about you. Since Uku processes no personal data on my side, I hold nothing about you to access, correct, export or erase. Your documents and Uku’s settings and index are on your computer, under your control, and you can view, change or delete them at any time. If you check for updates, GitHub handles those requests under the GitHub General Privacy Statement. If you turn on web images, the websites hosting them handle those requests under their own policies.
Changes
If Uku ever starts processing personal data (for example optional crash reports), this policy will be updated before that version is released, and the date at the top will change.
Contact
Questions about privacy: garipov.dinar@gmail.com