MacPipAnswer
Does Clacky work offline?
Yes. Clacky’s sounds, click ripple, screen recorder, captions and screenshots all run on your Mac and work without an internet connection, and a paid licence never locks because you are offline.
You need a connection once to activate your licence key, and for updates, Friends, the Bazaar, Ask Boop and Boop Support. The free trial runs offline too.
What works offline
Everything Clacky makes is made on your Mac, so almost all of it works on a plane or behind a firewall.
| What | Offline? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Click, keyboard and scroll sounds | Yes | Played on your Mac |
| Click ripple | Yes | Drawn on your screen |
| Screen recorder and editor | Yes | Editing and export happen on your Mac |
| Captions and transcript | Yes | macOS may download a speech model from Apple the first time, like Dictation does |
| Screenshots | Yes | Saved to Pictures › Clacky Screenshots |
| Activating a licence key | No | Needs a connection once |
| Updates, Friends, the Bazaar, Ask Boop, Boop Support | No | Need a connection when you use them |
Your licence when you are offline
Activating sends your key to Polar once, so do it while you’re online. After that, being offline never locks a one-time licence. Clacky checks the key again about once a day, and network trouble never counts against you. Even a real “not valid” answer has to come twice, at least a day apart, before anything changes.
The free trial offline
The 3-day trial starts on your Mac the first time you open Clacky, online or not. Clacky tells clacky.app about it with an anonymous one-way Mac ID when it next has a connection, so the trial stays once per Mac. Until then the trial simply runs.
What waits until you’re back online
Nothing breaks while you’re away. These just try again later.
- Update checks, and the licence check, which retries about every hour.
- Anonymous usage stats, if you said yes to them. They wait on your Mac and go out later.
- Recordings and screenshots never upload, online or offline. See what Clacky sends online.
Using Clacky with no internet at all
On a Mac that is never online, or with Clacky blocked in a firewall app, set it up like this.
- Activate your key once while you have a connection: paste it in Settings → Licence and click Activate.
- If you don’t want update checks, switch off Automatic updates in Settings.
- Use Clacky as usual. To update later, connect and choose Check for Updates… in Clacky’s menu.
Questions
Do I need internet to start the free trial?
Will Clacky lock if I block it with a firewall?
Can I activate my key offline?
Does Clacky upload my recordings when I’m back online?
Facts checked on 5 November 2026.
Related
- What does Clacky send over the internet?A daily anonymous check-in, update and licence checks, a one-time trial ID and, only if you agree, anonymous usage stats. Never your keys or screen.
- Where is my Clacky licence key?Your Clacky key is in your receipt email from Polar and on the thanks page, and starts with CLACKY-. Paste it in Settings → Licence and click Activate.
- How does Clacky update, and do updates cost extra?Clacky updates itself: it downloads new versions in the background and installs them when you are away. Every update is included in the $4.99 price.
- How does the Clacky free trial work?Clacky's free trial lasts 3 days, starts the first time you open it, needs no card or account and includes every feature. Then $4.99 once.
- Screen RecorderRecord the full screen, one window or an area, with your clicks heard and their ripples seen. Saved to Movies › Clacky.
- PrivacyWhat Clacky does and never does, and every request it makes.
Make something on your Mac today.
3 days free, every feature. Then $4.99 once.