Lockara · Marcel Landmann · Bielefeld, Germany
- Version
- 1.2.0
- Size
- 811 MB
- System
- macOS 15+
- Search
- free
You know what it says. You just can’t recall what it’s called.
Describe what it was about, and Lockara finds the document – even when the filename gives nothing away and it’s only a scan. Unlike system search, it reads the content, entirely on your computer: not a single file ever leaves it.
Version 1.2.0 · 811 MB
macOS 15 or later · Apple silicon
- No account
- No cloud
- Works offline
None of these filenames gives away what’s inside. Lockara finds them anyway, because it reads the text – for scans, through its built-in text recognition. The examples come from our invented German test files – search works best in the language your documents are written in.
What would you like to know?
Tap a topic – or download Lockara right away.
The problemWhy filenames don’t help
Your scanner names your files. You don’t.
Copiers, scanning apps and mail programs hand out names nobody will ever find again. A search by filename comes up empty – no matter how well you remember what the document said.
| What the files are called | What you type in Lockara |
|---|---|
| Scan_20240610_0001.pdf | Wann ist der Gütetermin?when is the hearing? |
| VS-2291-0087.pdf | Bin ich versichert, wenn mein Fahrrad gestohlen wird?am I insured if my bike is stolen? |
| Schreiben_0412.pdf | GEZthe letter only says “Rundfunkbeitrag” |
| Buchungsbestaetigung.pdf | Urlaub (holiday)the document says “Pauschalreise Mallorca” |
How it worksReady in three steps
Set it up once. After that, just ask.
-
Choose your folders
Documents, Desktop, the case files on a network drive – as many folders as you like, changeable at any time. No account, no sign-in.
-
Let it read them once
Lockara reads every document and remembers what it’s about. You can search while it runs. New and changed files are picked up on their own afterwards.
-
Describe instead of naming
⌘ ⇧ F from any app, type what it was about – and the match appears with the passage that answers it. Open, preview or find similar documents with one click.
Who it’s forLaw, care, office, study, home
For anyone who knows their documents. Just not the filenames.
Case files, care records, invoices or lecture notes – the same problem everywhere. Pick what fits you.
Files that mustn’t go to the cloud
Client letters, deadlines, court summonses – often scans with names
like Scan_0042.pdf. Case numbers such as
2 Ca 311/24 and abbreviations such as BGB
match as whole words, and no file ever leaves the computer.
“Wann ist der Gütetermin?” (when is the hearing?)
Scan_20240610_0001.pdf – the summons from the labour court, top result
Health data stays in-house
Prescriptions, decisions from the care insurer, rosters, care contracts: exactly the data that must not go to someone else’s server. Lockara reads everything locally – including scanned mail from the fax.
“Zahnbehandlung” (dental treatment)
IMG_5102.pdf – the scanned dentist’s invoice, top result
Invoices, quotes, contracts
Whatever the office scanner saves is called 0027_2607_001.pdf.
With Lockara you search for what’s inside: supplier, device, amount,
contract partner. For several workstations, just
get in touch.
“Heizung gewartet” (heating serviced)
IMG_4471.pdf – the boiler maintenance report, top result
Lecture notes, slides, papers
Hundreds of PDFs from lectures and the library, slides as PowerPoint, your own notes as text or Markdown. Just ask about the topic – Lockara shows the passage where it’s explained.
“Kaffeemaschine entkalken” (descale the coffee machine)
manual_EN.pdf – the English user manual, top result: asked in German, found in English
Your own paperwork
Insurance, tenancy agreement, tax assessment, warranties: scanned once and never found again. Lockara finds them when all you remember is what they said.
“Bin ich versichert, wenn mein Fahrrad gestohlen wird?” (am I insured if my bike is stolen?)
VS-2291-0087.pdf – the insurance terms, top result
- Nothing leaves the computer. Reading, text recognition and search run locally.
- Scans too. Scanned PDFs are read with the built-in text recognition.
- Easy on your IT. No account; the only outbound connection can be switched off, also via
config.json.
Why it worksMeaning, not letters
Lockara compares meaning, not letters.
While reading, every document is split into short passages, and for each one Lockara works out what it is about. Your question goes through the same calculation, and the closest matches win. Lockara then reads the best candidates a second time, more carefully, and re-ranks them.
A classic keyword search runs alongside. Names, numbers and exact terms still match reliably, and both together decide the order.
Where the limit lies, honestly: if a document contains nothing but a model number and nothing else related to what you’re looking for, Lockara won’t find it either. No search model that fits on an ordinary computer has that kind of product knowledge.
Bin ich versichert, wenn mein Fahrrad gestohlen wird?
Zusatzbausteine
Fahrraddiebstahl bis 1.500 EUR je Fahrrad,
auch außerhalb der Wohnung
Top result: VS-2291-0087.pdf – the insurance terms, whose filename is just a policy number.
“Gästeliste für die Hochzeit” (wedding guest list) returns no result in the same test files. Better nothing than anything.
Your dataNothing leaves the computer
What happens to your files. No small print.
The folders you search hold contracts, invoices, sometimes copies of ID documents. So here it is, in order and with nothing left out.
No file leaves your computer
Every document is read and searched locally, and your queries are evaluated offline too. There’s no server through which content could leak and no account it could be tied to.
One connection – and it can be turned off
At startup Lockara checks whether a newer version exists. Only your IP address and the version number are transmitted, never any content. The check can be switched off in the settings.
The index stays in your hands
It’s an ordinary file in
~/Library/Application Support/Lockara/ that you can
inspect or delete at any time.
What’s includedSearch is free, plus person search
Search: free and complete.
| Item | Service | Scope | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Search | Search by meaning with a second check of the best matches, plus a classic keyword search. Similar documents for every result. Filters by file type and period, search history, matches highlighted. | €0.00 |
| 2 | Read | PDF, Word, Excel (with column names), PowerPoint, text and Markdown. Scanned PDFs via the built-in text recognition. | €0.00 |
| 3 | Keep working | Open with a double-click, preview without launching the app, show in Finder, favourites for documents you need again and again. | €0.00 |
| 4 | Stay current | As many folders as you like. New and changed files are read in on their own, even during a running index. Files that couldn’t be read are named, not hidden. | €0.00 |
| 5 | Use | Open with ⌘⇧F from any app. Menu bar icon, launch at login, light and dark appearance, English and German. | €0.00 |
| 6 | Keep | No account, no sign-in, no usage data. Settings can be saved to a file and restored on another computer. | €0.00 |
| 7 | Person search (GDPR) | For subject access and erasure requests: finds every document that mentions a person, scans included, and records the result in a PDF report. Part of the licence for law firms and companies, free to try for 14 days – request a trial licence from [email protected]. | Licence |
| Search, complete | €0.00 | ||
Who builds thisMarcel Landmann, Bielefeld
“Your own hard drive shouldn’t be harder to search than half the internet.”
At work I deal with office equipment – machines, maintenance contracts
and the invoices that go with them. Exactly the kind of document you
can’t find two years later because the file is called
0027_260720113433_001.pdf and the scanner named it that way.
Lockara grew out of that frustration. I develop it together with a colleague who is building the Windows version, and I use it myself every day. That’s why this page also says where the program reaches its limits.
Found a bug or missing something? Write to me: [email protected]
Kind regards
Marcel Landmann
IT systems technician · Bielefeld, Germany
DownloadLockara 1.2.0 for the Mac
Lockara 1.2.0
Free and complete. The search model is included; nothing is downloaded after installation.
Lockara is a program for your computer
It can’t be installed here. So the address doesn’t get lost until then, send it to yourself – or just remember it:
lockara.de
811 MB · macOS 15 or later
Mac with Apple silicon (M1 or later)
Windows: the Windows version is in the works. If you’d like to hear when it’s ready, drop a line to [email protected].
The first time you open it, macOS says the app can’t be opened
This message will appear, and it looks more alarming than it is. Here’s what it looks like:
“Lockara” can’t be opened
Apple could not verify “Lockara” is free of malware that may harm your Mac or compromise your privacy.
What’s behind it: Apple offers to notarise apps before distribution; that requires a developer account at 99 euros a year, which Lockara doesn’t have yet. “Could not verify” is meant literally: nothing was found – nobody looked.
How to open it anyway – once, in three steps:
- Close the message with Done. Not “Move to Trash”.
- Open System Settings, then Privacy & Security, and scroll all the way down.
- Next to “Lockara was blocked”, click Open Anyway and confirm with your password.
That’s it. From the second launch on, Lockara opens like any other app.
Common questionsPrice, Windows, privacy …
Common questions
Yours isn’t here? [email protected] – you’ll get an answer from the person who builds the program.
Are my documents sent anywhere?
No. Every file is read and searched only on your computer. There’s no server connection through which content could leak and no account it could be linked to.
What does Lockara cost?
Search costs nothing – complete, nothing to unlock and no trial period. Person search (GDPR) is part of the licence for law firms and companies and can be tried free for 14 days; request a trial licence from [email protected].
Is there a Windows version?
It’s in the works and uses the same search engine as the Mac version. To be notified, write to [email protected].
Why is the download so large?
It contains the models that understand your questions and re-rank the results, plus the text recognition for scans. For everything to work without a cloud, all of it has to live on your computer – in return, nothing is downloaded afterwards.
How long does the first read take?
A few thousand documents take a few minutes, scans a little longer. You can search while it runs, and “Cancel” stops immediately – whatever is finished stays searchable.
A document isn’t found. Why?
First check that its folder is added and reading has finished. Often a file type is also unticked at the top.
Describe the content, not the filename. Words that appear literally in the document carry the most weight; for invoices about equipment, the manufacturer’s name helps more than the kind of device.
How do I uninstall it?
Move the app to the Trash and delete the folder
~/Library/Application Support/Lockara/. Nothing else is
left behind.