Paperweight icon

Paperweight

Paperweight is a local-first desktop app that scans your inbox to map your digital footprint, then helps you unsubscribe from mailing lists, check breach exposure, and generate GDPR deletion requests. It supports Windows, macOS, and Linux, and works with IMAP-based email providers.

Paperweight

Overview

Paperweight is a desktop app for managing your digital footprint through email. It scans your inbox to map where your personal data may be stored, then helps you act on that information by unsubscribing from mailing lists, checking breach exposure, and preparing data deletion requests.

The product is local-first and open source, with support for Windows, macOS, and Linux. It works with IMAP-based email providers and is positioned as a practical tool for people who want to clean up accounts, understand where their data lives, and start removing it from services they no longer use.

What you can do with Paperweight

Bulk unsubscribe

Find mailing lists in your inbox and remove them in batches instead of unsubscribing one by one.

Breach alerts

See whether companies you use have had breaches, with breach context powered by Have I Been Pwned.

Account inventory

Map companies that have your data so you can identify forgotten services and higher-risk accounts.

GDPR deletion requests

Generate GDPR access or deletion requests with pre-filled templates and company contact details.

Privacy-first local processing

Keep message processing on your own machine; the site says emails never leave your computer.

Open source

Review the code publicly; the project describes itself as open source and auditable.

Common ways to use Paperweight

  • Audit your online accounts

    Use the inbox scan to see which companies and mailing lists are tied to your email address, then decide which accounts are worth keeping.

  • Respond to breach exposure

    Review breach alerts for companies you use so you can change passwords or take other protective steps after exposure.

  • Submit privacy requests

    Generate GDPR access or deletion requests when you want to ask a company to share or remove your data.

  • Clean up subscription email

    Batch-unsubscribe from mailing lists when your inbox has accumulated recurring newsletters or promotional mail.

  • Work with local-first privacy

    Run the app locally on a personal machine when you want a desktop tool that keeps email processing on device.

Pros and Cons

Pros

  • Scans email to map accounts, mailing lists, and breach exposure in one workflow.
  • Runs locally, which reduces the need to send mailbox content to a third-party service.
  • Supports common desktop platforms: Windows, macOS, and Linux.
  • Includes practical actions such as bulk unsubscribe and GDPR request generation.
  • Uses public, auditable source code and references external breach data through Have I Been Pwned.

Cons

  • Pricing details beyond the free tier and one-time license are limited; the pricing page currently returns a 404.
  • The public sources do not clearly define advanced team features or deployment options beyond local desktop use.
  • Some setup details vary by provider, especially for email access and sign-in flows.

FAQ

What does Paperweight do?

Paperweight scans your inbox to identify companies, mailing lists, and breach-related exposure, then gives you tools to act on that information. It can generate GDPR request emails, support bulk unsubscribe, and show breach context from the resources section.

Does Paperweight send my emails to the cloud?

It is designed as a desktop app that runs locally on your computer. The product description says everything happens locally and that your emails never leave your machine.

Which email providers are supported?

The site says Paperweight works with IMAP providers and lists Google, Microsoft, Apple, Proton, and other IMAP email providers. The changelog also mentions Gmail, Microsoft, IMAP, SMTP, Apple/iCloud, and Proton Mail support.

Is there a free version?

The pricing page says the free version includes core features with a 90-day email scan, while the perpetual license adds unlimited email history, multi-account support, and one year of email support.

Which platforms can I install Paperweight on?

Yes. The site lists desktop downloads for Windows, macOS, Linux, and a Linux .deb package.

Quick Facts

Category
Privacy / Productivity
Platform
Windows, macOS, Linux
Deployment
Local desktop app
Email support
IMAP providers, including Google, Microsoft, Apple, Proton, and others
Pricing
Free tier plus one-time perpetual license
Source domain
paperweight.email