Private SearchSearch your case files. Upload nothing.
Private Search reads the PDFs, scans and Word files on your computer. Ask in your own words, and it shows the passages that answer, with the page they are on. Made for lawyers, judges and accountants.
Free for 10 Documents. $49 once for the full version, with all updates.
Acme services agreement.pdfPage 9Acme
Either party may end this agreement by giving at least 90 days’ written notice. Notice must be sent to the address in section 14.
Acme renewal letter.docxRenewal termsAcme
The agreement renews for another year on 1 March unless it is ended under clause 11.
Scan 0042.jpgText in imageAcme
Received by hand on 3 February. Signed copy of the termination notice attached.
Hearing transcript, 14 May.pdfPage 31Case 118/2026
Q: Was the shipment late? A: Yes, it arrived two weeks after the date in the order. We told them by phone.
Defence statement.docxFactsCase 118/2026
The defendant accepts that the goods arrived after 1 March, but denies that the delivery date was binding.
Exhibit C, emails.pdfPage 4Case 118/2026
Sorry for the delay. The truck will be with you on the 15th.
Supplier invoices 2026.pdfPage 37Silva Ltd
Invoice INV-2026-0412. Office cleaning, April. Net €640.00, VAT €147.20, total €787.20.
Bank statement, April.pdfPage 2Silva Ltd
18 April. Transfer to CleanCo, reference INV-2026-0412. −€787.20
Marked words match the question exactly. The rest was found by meaning.
Try another question
Three steps, all on your computer
Add your files
Drop PDFs, scans, Word files and books into a Library: one for each client, case or tax year. Private Search reads them on your computer.
Ask in your own words
Type a question, a name or a reference number. Search finds passages by meaning and by exact words together.
Go to the page
Every result shows the file and the page, chapter or heading it came from, so you can check the source.
Your files stay on your computer
- No upload
- Indexing and Search run on your computer. Private Search never sends your Documents, their names or your searches.
- Your originals stay as they are
- The app keeps its own copy of each Document in one Data folder that you choose. It never changes your files.
- No account
- You never sign in. A License is a key that you type into Settings.
- Search needs no internet
- Indexing and Search work offline. The app goes online only for the few calls listed below.
What goes online
This is every network call Private Search makes, and what each one sends. You can check it yourself with a firewall app such as Little Snitch.
| Call | When | What it sends |
|---|---|---|
| Search model download, about 120 MB, from Hugging Face | Once, the first time you open the app | A normal download request. Nothing about you or your files. |
| OCR language packs, from jsDelivr | Once for each language you add for scanned pages | A normal download request. Nothing about you or your files. |
| License Activation, through Polar (api.polar.sh) | When you type in your key | Your key, a computer ID and our Polar organization ID |
| License check, through Polar (api.polar.sh) | Every 30 days | Your key, a computer ID and our Polar organization ID |
| Remove this computer, through Polar (api.polar.sh) | When you choose it in Settings | Your key, a computer ID and our Polar organization ID |
| Update check and download, from downloads.trove-app.dev | On launch and every 6 hours. You can turn it off in Settings. | A normal download request with the app version. Nothing about you or your files. |
Never sent: your Documents, their names, your Libraries or your searches. The free version makes no License calls at all.
It reads what you already have
Put files into Libraries: one for each client, case or tax year. Search one Library or all of them. Every result tells you where it is in the file.
| File | A result points to |
|---|---|
| the page | |
| EPUB | the chapter |
| Word (DOCX), ODT and Markdown | the heading |
| Plain text | the document |
| PNG, JPG and scanned pages | the text, read with OCR in the languages you choose |
Use it with Claude or Codex, if you want
Private Search can also give an AI assistant one read-only search tool. In Settings, choose Add to Claude or Add to Codex (ChatGPT). Your assistant then searches your files and tells you the page. It gets only the passages that match, never whole files.
Claude Code and other apps that support MCP (a standard way to connect tools to an assistant) work too. Settings shows what to paste.
You: how much notice do we need to give to end the Acme contract?
private-search search
“notice to end the contract” in Acme
Acme services agreement.pdf, page 9
Either party may end this agreement by giving at least 90 days’ written notice. Notice must be sent to the address in section 14.
Acme renewal letter.docx, “Renewal terms”
The agreement renews for another year on 1 March unless it is ended under clause 11.
Claude: You need to give at least 90 days’ written notice (Acme services agreement.pdf, page 9). It renews on 1 March, so send the notice by 1 December to stop the renewal.
You: did Silva Ltd pay the CleanCo invoice INV-2026-0412?
private-search search
“INV-2026-0412” in Silva Ltd
Supplier invoices 2026.pdf, page 37
Invoice INV-2026-0412. Office cleaning, April. Net €640.00, VAT €147.20, total €787.20.
Bank statement, April.pdf, page 2
18 April. Transfer to CleanCo, reference INV-2026-0412. −€787.20
Codex: Yes. The invoice is €787.20 with VAT (Supplier invoices 2026.pdf, page 37), and it was paid in full by bank transfer on 18 April (Bank statement, April.pdf, page 2).
Pay once. Keep it.
Try the full app on your own files for free. When you need more than 10 Documents, buy a License.
Free
$0
- Every feature
- Up to 10 Documents, across all your Libraries
- No key, and no License calls
License
$49 once
- As many Documents as your disk holds
- All future updates, at no extra cost
- Use it on 2 computers
- No subscription
Polar sells the License for us and handles sales tax and VAT. You type the key into Settings.
Questions before you install
Does anyone else see my files?
No. Indexing and Search run on your computer, and Private Search never sends your Documents, their names or your searches. If you connect an AI assistant, the passages it finds become part of that chat, like anything you paste into it.
Why does the License check go online?
To make sure each key is used on no more than 2 computers. The check runs when you type in your key, and then every 30 days. It sends your key, a computer ID and our Polar organization ID to Polar, and nothing else.
What if I am offline when the check is due?
The app warns you and keeps working. If it still cannot check after 7 days, Search and Indexing stop until it can, in the app and for connected assistants. Your Documents are not touched. An office with no internet at all cannot use the paid version yet.
What counts as a Document?
One file that you add. A 300-page PDF is one Document. The free version holds 10 Documents across all your Libraries.
What do I get for $49?
The full app with no Document limit, on 2 computers, and every future update. You pay once. There is no subscription.
Can I move my License to a new computer?
Yes. On the old computer, choose Remove this computer in Settings. Then type your key into the new one.
What happens to my original files?
Nothing. Private Search keeps its own copy of each Document in one Data folder, which you can move. Deleting a Document from Private Search never touches the original.
Does it work with ChatGPT?
It works with Codex, the agent that comes with ChatGPT, in one click. The ChatGPT chat app cannot use it yet: it only connects to tools on the internet, and Private Search runs only on your computer.
Try it on your own files
The free version is the full app, for up to 10 Documents. It speaks English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Hindi and Chinese.
- Download for macOS.dmg, for Apple silicon
- Download for WindowsInstaller (.exe)
- Download for LinuxAppImage, for most Linux systems
- Download for Linux.deb, for Debian and Ubuntu
The Mac app is signed and notarized by Apple. The Windows and Linux builds are not signed yet, so Windows may ask you to confirm the first time you open the app.