Updating & uninstalling

How the desktop app updates, how to remove it from your system, and how to delete local vault data before you transfer or sell a machine.

Finding the app on your computer

The installer registers PrivateDocs AI like any other desktop program. Your documents and vault data are kept in a separate PrivateAI folder on your computer (see below), not mixed into the application bundle itself.

App updates

The desktop app can check for updates and notify you when a newer version is available. You stay in control: follow the on-screen prompts to download and install when you are ready.

After the app finishes starting, it may look for updates after a short pause, up to about once per day, if automatic checks are still enabled in settings (they usually start enabled). Checks are skipped when your computer reports it is offline. You can also look for updates manually from the dashboard when that option appears.

Installers are provided for Windows and Linux in common formats (such as MSI, deb, rpm, or AppImage, depending on what you downloaded). On macOS, follow the usual steps for the .app or package you received. New computers or clean installs use a full download; in-place upgrades use the built-in update flow when your platform is supported.

Standard uninstall

  • Windows: Uninstall from Settings → Apps → Installed apps (or Control Panel → Programs and Features) using the PrivateDocs AI entry.
  • macOS: Remove the application from /Applications (for example drag it to Trash) if you installed a .app that way; if you used an installer, follow the same path you used to install.
  • Linux (.deb / .rpm): Use your package manager’s remove command for the package name from your download.
  • Linux (AppImage): Delete the AppImage file and any shortcut you added; there is no system package entry.

Removing the program does not always delete your vault folder or separately downloaded AI model files. For a full wipe, continue with the next sections.

Removing your vault data

Your local vault lives in one main folder. It holds copies of documents you added, the app’s catalog of those files, and the data the app uses to search your library. To remove everything the app stored for your vault, quit PrivateDocs AI completely, then delete the entire data folder at the path for your system:

Windows

%LOCALAPPDATA%\PrivateAI\data

Often looks like C:\Users\YourName\AppData\Local\PrivateAI\data. This is your account’s Local application data area, not the Roaming profile folder.

macOS

~/Library/Application Support/PrivateAI/data

Linux

$XDG_DATA_HOME/PrivateAI/data

If that variable is not set, use ~/.local/share/PrivateAI/data.

Selling or disposing of the computer

Deleting the data folder removes your vault from this app on that machine. If you also downloaded large AI model files, remove those separately using your system’s file browser so no sensitive or bulky data remains. Follow your organization’s rules for encryption and secure erase when required.

Local AI model files

The app may download helper programs and model files so the assistant can run on your hardware. Extra folders sometimes appear next to your vault data or in your user profile—for example a PrivateAI area under Windows local data, or a standard “models” folder under your home directory on Mac or Linux.

If you need disk space back or you are wiping the machine, delete those folders after you quit the app. Names and exact locations can vary by version; when in doubt, search your drive for PrivateAI and for the model tool’s default storage folder for your account after you uninstall the app.