# How to Turn Off Usage Analytics

> What StringLane sends, what it never sends, and where the one toggle is that stops it. Your translation content never leaves your machine either way.

Source: https://stringlane.app/docs/configure-privacy
Last updated: 2026-08-19

StringLane collects anonymous usage data to decide what to build next. It is a single toggle, it takes effect immediately, and none of your translation content is involved either way.

## Turn it off

1. Open **Settings** (⌘,)
2. In the sidebar, choose **App → Privacy**
3. Switch off **Share anonymous usage data**

The change applies immediately. There is no restart, no confirmation dialog, and no "are you sure" step.

![Settings → App → Privacy: the Share anonymous usage data toggle above the collected and never-collected lists](/docs-screenshots/settings-privacy.webp)

This is an **App** setting, not a project setting. It applies to every project you open on this machine.

## What is collected

- Which features you use — opening a project, adding a locale, running a translation
- How often you come back, and roughly how long a session lasts
- Your app version, operating system, and a randomised device identifier
- Counts in ranges ("51–200 keys"), never exact numbers

## What is never collected

- Your translation keys, values, or any text from your files
- File paths, folder names, or project names
- Anything you send to or receive from an AI provider, including your API keys
- Your name, email, or IP-based location profile

The same lists are shown in the app itself, next to the toggle. If the two ever disagree, the app is the one to trust — and please [tell us](mailto:support@stringlane.app).

## Licence checks are separate

Turning analytics off does not stop trial and licence verification. That check contacts our licensing server so your trial period and activation stay valid, and it counts activations regardless of this setting. It is how the licence works, not a second analytics channel. See [How to Activate Your License Key](/docs/activate-license).

## What about AI translation?

AI translation is a different data path with a different answer, and this toggle has no effect on it.

When you translate a key, the string and your prompt context go directly from your machine to whichever provider you configured — OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, or whoever else. They never pass through a StringLane server. What that provider then does with the text is governed by their policy, not ours.

If you do not want your strings leaving the machine at all, run a local model instead: see [How to Translate with a Local LLM](/docs/use-local-llm). With a local runner, nothing about your content touches the network.

## Related

- [Privacy Policy](/privacy) — the full published policy
- [How to Translate with a Local LLM (Ollama, LM Studio, Jan)](/docs/use-local-llm) — keep translation entirely offline
- [How to Set Up AI Translation](/docs/set-up-ai-translation) — where API keys are stored