Your Retrace Data
Retrace stores your captured history locally on your Mac. By default, this data lives in ~/RetraceData/.
Open Storage Settings
- Open the Retrace timeline.
- Open Settings.
- Select Storage.
See What Uses Space
The Disk Usage section shows your total Retrace storage and breaks it into four categories:
- Screen Captures
- Thumbnails
- Voice Notes
- Indexes & Metadata
Change the Data Location
Use the Location section if you want Retrace data on another local drive or partition.
- Open Folder opens the current data folder in Finder.
- Change Location... lets you choose a new parent folder.
Retrace moves the entire data folder together, including the encrypted database, voice-note audio, and logs. The new folder is also namedRetraceData.
Recording Retention
Recording Retention automatically removes captured history and app activity older than the period you choose. New installations default to 30 days.
| Option | What Retrace Keeps |
|---|---|
| 30 Days | The most recent 30 days |
| 90 Days | The most recent 90 days |
| 6 Months | The most recent 180 days |
| 1 Year | The most recent 365 days |
| Forever | Everything, until you delete it yourself |
| Custom | The number of days you enter |
Change Your Retention Period
- Go to Settings → Storage.
- Choose a period under Recording Retention.
- If the new period would delete older history, review the count and confirm Delete Older History.
Quick Clean
Quick Clean removes screen recordings and app activity from a recent period. Choose Last 1 Min, Last 1 Hour, or Last 24 Hours, review what Retrace found, and confirm the deletion.
Advanced Pruning
Advanced Pruning removes screen recordings and app activity older than a date and time you choose. It does not change your ongoing retention setting.
- Go to Settings → Storage.
- Under Advanced Pruning, choose a date and time.
- Click Delete and confirm.
Delete All Recordings
Delete All Recordings permanently removes your entire screen-recording history and app activity. Retrace asks you to confirm before deletion begins.
Recording Speed
Recording Speed controls how often Retrace checks your screen and how much storage it uses. Change it under Settings → Storage → Recording Speed.
| Mode | How It Works | Storage Use |
|---|---|---|
| Ultra | Captures every 3 seconds, even when the screen has not changed | Highest |
| Active | Captures every few seconds when content changes | Moderate |
| Passive | Captures roughly every 10 seconds when content changes | Lower |
| Slow | Captures at least once a minute | Lowest |