> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.openwhispr.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# What OpenWhispr stores, and for how long

> The retention settings, what they default to, where your data sits on disk, and how to delete it.

Most of what OpenWhispr keeps is on **your own machine**, and you control how
long it stays there. Two settings do the work: audio recordings are deleted after
**30 days** by default, and transcripts are kept **forever** by default until you
change it.

Both live in one place. Open **Settings**, then **Privacy & Data** under
**System**.

## The settings, and what they're set to out of the box

| Setting                       | Default | What it does                                                                                           |
| ----------------------------- | ------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| **Data Retention**            | On      | Saves transcriptions and audio to your history. Turn it off and text is still pasted, just never saved |
| **Audio Retention**           | 30 days | Deletes stored recordings after this long                                                              |
| **Transcript Retention**      | Forever | Deletes saved transcriptions — and their audio — after this long                                       |
| **Save discarded dictations** | Off     | Keeps the audio of dictations you cancelled with Escape, so you can recover them                       |
| **Cloud backup**              | Off     | Backs your notes and transcriptions up to the cloud                                                    |

Audio Retention and Transcript Retention both offer 1, 7, 14, 30, 60 or 90 days.
Audio Retention can also be set to **Disabled**, which keeps no audio at all;
Transcript Retention can be set to **Forever**, which is where it starts.

<Note>
  **Save discarded dictations** needs both Data Retention and Audio Retention
  switched on — it has nowhere to keep the audio otherwise. The app says as much
  under the toggle.
</Note>

## Turning history off entirely

Set **Data Retention** off. Your words are still typed at your cursor; nothing is
written to history. The app confirms this state in the history view: *"Data
retention is off. Transcriptions and audio are not saved to history."*

This is the setting to reach for if you dictate anything you'd rather not have
sitting on disk afterwards.

## Deleting what's already there

The same section has a **Storage Usage** panel showing how many audio files are
stored and how much space they take, with a **Clear All Audio** button beneath
it. It deletes every stored recording and can't be undone.

Shortening a retention period also applies to what you've already got — the
next cleanup sweep removes anything past the new limit.

## Where it sits on disk

If you'd rather look for yourself, or you're wiping a machine:

| Platform    | Folder                                     |
| ----------- | ------------------------------------------ |
| **macOS**   | `~/Library/Application Support/OpenWhispr` |
| **Windows** | `%APPDATA%\OpenWhispr`                     |
| **Linux**   | `~/.config/OpenWhispr`                     |

Inside it, `audio/` holds the recordings and `transcriptions.db` is the SQLite
database holding your history.

<Note>
  That database is an ordinary file on your computer — OpenWhispr doesn't encrypt
  it separately. It's protected by your operating system account and by whatever
  full-disk encryption you have on, such as FileVault or BitLocker. Your saved API
  keys are the exception: those are encrypted through your OS keychain, described
  in [how OpenWhispr is secured](/help/privacy/how-openwhispr-is-secured).
</Note>

## What we hold on our side

If a mode is on OpenWhispr Cloud, we store the **transcript text** and its
technical metadata — provider, model, language, duration, timings. We don't store
the audio. [Where your voice and text go](/help/privacy/where-your-data-goes)
covers this in detail.

If **Cloud backup** is on, your notes are backed up to your account as well.

All of it goes when your account does. [Deleting your
account](/help/account/delete-your-account) sets out exactly what's removed, and
it's also the route for a formal erasure request.

## FAQ

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Does changing retention delete my old recordings?">
    Yes. The limit applies to everything stored, not just new recordings, so
    lowering it clears out anything already past the new period.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="If I turn Data Retention off, do I lose my existing history?">
    No. It stops new transcriptions being saved; what's already there stays until
    you delete it or a retention period expires. **Clear All Audio** removes the
    recordings.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Does deleting a note here delete it from the cloud?">
    If cloud backup is on, deleting locally removes it from your backup too. Notes
    in a team space belong to that space — see [team
    spaces](/guides/team-spaces).
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

<Snippet file="still-need-help.mdx" />

## Related

* [Where your voice and text go](/help/privacy/where-your-data-goes)
* [Deleting your account](/help/account/delete-your-account)
* [Recovering a cancelled dictation](/help/fix/recover-a-lost-dictation)
* [GDPR and your data rights](/help/privacy/gdpr-and-your-data-rights)