Privacy Policy

Kodiak Cleaner Privacy Policy

Effective date: October 4, 2026

Kodiak Cleaner is a free Windows cleaner made by Ted Tabaka, an independent developer. This policy explains exactly what Kodiak Cleaner does with information. In short: everything stays on your computer.

What Kodiak Cleaner Collects

Nothing. Kodiak Cleaner has no accounts, no analytics, no telemetry, no crash reporting and no ads. It never sends information about you, your computer or what you clean to anyone.

What Stays on Your Computer

• Settings are saved in KodiakCleaner.ini, next to KodiakCleaner.exe.
• Registry backups are saved as .reg files in the Backups folder, next to KodiakCleaner.exe. Settings backups you make under Settings go there too, and so does the Startup History (the startup entries Kodiak Cleaner has seen, with copies of startup shortcuts so removed ones can be put back). It is only read on your PC.
• Your supporter code, if you enter one, is saved in KodiakCleaner.ini and checked on your computer only.
• Tools such as Disk Analyzer, Large Files, Empty Folders, Browser Extensions, Scheduled Tasks and System Information read your computer to show you what they find. Results are shown on screen only; they aren't saved or sent anywhere. System Information's Copy to Clipboard copies its list, which includes your computer's name, only when you click it, and only to your own clipboard.

Kodiak Cleaner stores nothing in AppData. A few optional features you turn on add small entries to Windows, and turning them off again removes them:

• Clean When Windows Starts adds a startup entry for your Windows account.
• Open Kodiak Cleaner From the Recycle Bin Menu adds a menu item to the Recycle Bin.
• Skip the User Account Control Prompt adds a scheduled task that starts Kodiak Cleaner with administrator rights.
• Jump List Tasks are kept by Windows itself.

Uninstalling Kodiak Cleaner removes the program and its settings file. Registry backups and the Startup History stay in the Backups folder so you can still restore them; delete the Kodiak Cleaner folder to remove them. The portable version leaves no trace outside its own folder apart from the optional features above.

When Kodiak Cleaner Goes Online

Only to check for updates:

• When you click Check Now under Settings, Updates, or
• Once a day at start-up, if you turn on Keep Kodiak Cleaner Updated Automatically (off by default). With it on, a new version is downloaded in the background and installed when you close Kodiak Cleaner.

The check asks GitHub (api.github.com) for the list of Kodiak Cleaner releases. When an update is downloaded, Kodiak Cleaner saves the installer in your Windows temporary folder and checks it against the SHA-256 checksum GitHub publishes for it; an installer that doesn't match is deleted, not run. Like any website, GitHub can see your IP address and that the request came from Kodiak Cleaner. GitHub's own privacy statement covers what GitHub does with that. The portable version only checks; it never downloads or installs anything.

Buttons such as Support on Ko-fi, Star on GitHub and Project Page open the website in your browser. Those websites have their own privacy policies.

Feedback

Send Feedback, Report a Bug and Request a Feature open a short form. Your name and email are optional. Send Email then opens your own email app with the message ready to [email protected], and nothing is sent until you press Send there. Kodiak Cleaner uses no mail service of its own. Messages can include a few details (Kodiak Cleaner version, Windows version, plan, install type and theme) that you can see first and switch off. They never include file names, folders, user names or anything you cleaned.

Children

Kodiak Cleaner doesn't collect personal information from anyone, including children.

Changes

If Kodiak Cleaner ever changes what it does with information, this policy will be updated before that version is released, and the effective date above will change.

Contact

[email protected]