Last updated 24 September 2026 · Applies to BMD Installer for macOS
The short version. BMD Installer has no accounts, no analytics and no servers of its own. Nothing you type is sent to the developer — it is stored on your Mac and, when you ask for a download, sent directly to Blackmagic Design.
BMD Installer is a free, independently developed macOS app that finds, downloads and updates Blackmagic Design software. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to Blackmagic Design Pty. Ltd.
This policy covers the app and this website. It does not cover Blackmagic Design's own website or the installers you download from them, which are governed by Blackmagic Design's privacy policy.
Nothing. There is no BMD Installer account, no server operated by the developer, no analytics or crash-reporting SDK, no advertising, and no tracking of any kind. The developer cannot see who uses the app, what they download, or anything they enter into it.
The app saves a small amount of data in your local macOS preferences. It never leaves your computer except as described in the next section, and it is removed when you uninstall the app.
| What | Why | Stored as |
|---|---|---|
| Registration details — name, email, phone, country, street, city, state, postcode | Blackmagic Design requires these before it will issue a download link for some products. Saving them means you only enter them once. | bmd_registration |
| Your starred favourites | To keep them at the front of the list. | bmd.favouriteProductNames |
| Products you have hidden | To keep them out of the grid. | bmd.hiddenProductNames |
| Appearance preference | Light, dark or system setting. | appColorScheme |
The app also reads which Blackmagic products are installed on your Mac, by checking macOS installer receipts and the application bundles in your Applications folder. This happens entirely on your computer so the app can compare installed versions against the latest releases. It is never transmitted anywhere.
Deleting the app removes everything listed above. To clear the saved data while keeping the app, run this in Terminal and then restart it:
defaults delete ErwinTan.BMD-Installer
To remove only your registration details and keep your favourites and other preferences, use defaults delete ErwinTan.BMD-Installer bmd_registration instead. The app will ask for the details again the next time you download a product that requires them.
The app connects to the following services. There is no intermediary — requests go directly from your Mac to these providers.
| Service | What is sent | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Blackmagic Design — downloads index | No personal data | To list current product versions and release notes. |
| Blackmagic Design — download registration | Your registration details, as listed above | Sent only when you start a download of a product that requires registration, because Blackmagic Design requires them to return a download link. This is the same information their website asks for. |
| Blackmagic Design — news feed | No personal data | To show the News tab. |
| GitHub | No personal data | To check for and download BMD Installer's own updates, and to serve downloads from this website. |
As with any internet request, these providers will see your IP address and basic connection information. Their handling of it is covered by their own privacy policies: Blackmagic Design and GitHub.
BMD Installer uses Sparkle to update itself. It periodically fetches an update feed hosted on GitHub. The check sends no personal data and no unique identifier, and Sparkle's optional anonymous system profiling is not enabled.
If you allow notifications, the app tells you when an update is available for software you have installed. Notifications are generated on your Mac by macOS — nothing is sent to a push server, and no notification data leaves your computer.
This site sets no cookies and runs no analytics or tracking scripts. It requests the latest release information from GitHub's public API so the download button and version number stay current; that request is made by your browser directly to GitHub.
BMD Installer is a tool for professional and enthusiast video equipment and is not directed at children under 13. No personal data is knowingly collected from anyone.
If this policy changes, the revised version will be posted here with an updated date. Material changes will also be noted in the app's release notes.
Questions about this policy, or about the app generally, can be raised as an issue on the project's GitHub repository.