Privacy Policy

Last updated: June 29, 2026

HearthWire runs entirely on your own computers and home network. It does not collect, transmit to us, or share any of your data. There are no accounts, no servers, no cloud, no telemetry, and no analytics. We never see your messages, your files, or your settings.

Local network (your intranet), not the internet

HearthWire works over your local network only , often called your "intranet": the private network your home router creates for the devices inside your house. This is not the same as the internet, the worldwide public network outside your home. In plain words:

• Your intranet is just your own computers talking to each other inside your home. The data never leaves your walls.
• The internet is the outside world. HearthWire does not use it to move your messages, files, screens, or anything else , there is no cloud and no outside server, and nothing is uploaded.

So your information only ever travels the short way, from one of your computers straight to another, and stays on your home network the entire time.

What the app stores, and where

Everything HearthWire saves stays on your device, under %LOCALAPPDATA%\HearthWire:

• config: your home network's name and shared secret, this PC's display name, the list of folders you chose to share (and how), your quick messages, and your preferences (sound, do not disturb, start-with-Windows, language, and which features are enabled).
• received files: files other computers send you are saved to Downloads\My Network Files on your PC, so you can find them easily.
• temporary copies: when you open a movie or document from a shared folder that isn't mapped as a drive, a temporary copy is cached so it opens instantly next time. These are deleted automatically after a week, and you can clear them anytime in Settings.

We never receive any of these. They are read and written only on your machine.

How your computers talk to each other

HearthWire connects your computers over your local home network only. To do that, on your network only, it:

• Announces this PC (its display name and network) so the other computers in your home can find it, and listens for theirs. You can hide a PC with "Let other computers see this computer" in Settings.
• Sends your messages, files, shared-folder contents, and screen-sharing data directly to the other computer, encrypted, never through any outside server.

HearthWire does not connect to the internet to move your data. There is no cloud relay.

Encryption

Traffic between your computers is encrypted with a key derived from your home network's shared secret (AES-GCM). Only computers you approved into your network can read it.

Security

We take the security of your home network seriously and built HearthWire following established security practices: traffic between your computers is encrypted, a new computer can only join after you approve it on a computer already in the network (confirming a number that appears on both screens), and there are no accounts, servers, cloud, or data collection that could be breached or leaked from the outside. We have worked carefully to protect the App against misuse. That said, no software can be promised to be perfectly secure. You also help keep your network safe by approving only computers you trust and keeping Windows up to date.

Get HearthWire only from official sources

Download and install HearthWire only from our official page or the Microsoft Store. Do not install "cracked," "free," or pirated copies from unofficial or file-sharing sites. Because the App connects your computers and your home network, a tampered copy is especially dangerous: people who pirate this kind of app often hide malware or a backdoor that can open your PC and your whole network to an outsider. A copy obtained from anywhere other than our official channels is not covered by this Privacy Policy, and we cannot vouch for what it does. See the Terms of Use for more.

Screen viewing and control

Another person can view or control a computer's screen only after the person at that computer approves the request. While a session is active, an on-screen indicator shows it, and that person can stop it at any time. You can disable screen-help requests entirely for a PC in Settings. Screen data is sent directly between the two computers on your network and is never recorded or sent to us.

Shared folders

You decide which folders to share and who can open them (you can require a password). Shared folders are served from your PC to the other computers on your network only. You can stop sharing any folder at any time; doing so does not delete your files.

Network use

HearthWire makes no internet connections for your data. It does not send crash reports, usage statistics, or any other information off your devices. All traffic stays on your local network.

Start with Windows

If you enable "Start with Windows," the app registers a standard packaged startup task so it can launch at sign-in. Disabling it removes that registration. No data is involved.

Your control over your data

• Stop sharing any folder, or turn off receiving files, from the app at any time.
• Hide this PC from the others, or turn off screen-help requests, in Settings.
• Clear the temporary file cache anytime in Settings.
• Use "Leave this network and start over" to forget the network and your shared-folder list (your files are not deleted).
• Delete the %LOCALAPPDATA%\HearthWire folder to remove all settings.
• Uninstalling HearthWire stops all of its activity; your own files and folders are untouched.

Children's privacy

HearthWire does not collect any personal information from anyone, including children.

Changes to this policy

If this policy changes, the updated version will be posted at this address with a new "Last updated" date.