What Munch saves
Munch stores saved links and titles in a library on your Mac. It also keeps your preferences and a recent snapshot of open tabs so the menu bar panel can work. Your library is not uploaded to a Munch server.
A saved link is not a copy of the page. Munch does not save page HTML, form entries, scroll position, or a restorable browser session. Tabs closed outside Munch are not added to its library automatically.
Browser access is your choice
Choose which browsers Munch can connect to. macOS asks you to approve Automation access for each one. Munch uses that access to read tab titles and links, and to close a tab only when you ask it to or enable an automatic rule.
Safari does not clearly label private-window tabs through its automation interface. Connecting Safari may let Munch read their tab metadata. Munch skips private Chrome and Brave windows during cleanup. If a site is sensitive, add it to Excluded sites in Preferences. Exclusions stop collection and remove matching saved records.
Browser history helps estimate last use
By default, Munch checks local browser history for the links of tabs that are currently open. It uses this to help estimate when those tabs were last used. The history results stay in memory. They are not added to your saved library or sent to a server.
Turn off Use browser history for last use in Preferences if you prefer. Munch will then rely on tab selections it observes while running. Reading Safari history also needs Full Disk Access. Without it, Munch uses observation for Safari.
Website icons make a network request
When website icons are on, Munch requests an icon over HTTPS from the website or its chosen icon service. That site can see the request and your IP address. The request does not include the saved page path, browser cookies, or login details.
Turn off Show website icons in Preferences to stop new icon requests and clear Munch's icon cache. The library still works with simple site initials.
Update checks ask GitHub once a day
Starting with Munch 0.2.0, the app asks GitHub once a day whether a newer version is available. GitHub can see the request and your IP address. The request includes nothing about your tabs, library, or browsers.
Turn off Check for updates in Preferences to stop automatic checks. You can still check yourself with Check for updates at the bottom of Preferences.
You control automatic closing
Automatic closing starts off. You can review suggestions and choose tabs yourself. If you turn on an automatic rule, Munch saves a link before closing an eligible tab. It protects selected tabs and the leftmost tabs in each window, but it cannot reliably detect every unsaved form or playing video.
For work you cannot afford to lose, keep review mode on and close the tab yourself after checking it. Read the automatic cleanup guide for the full set of controls and limits.
About this website
This website uses Vercel Analytics to measure visits. That is separate from the Munch Mac app. The app does not send usage telemetry.