Email [email protected] for anything: bugs, licence problems, refunds or a security report. Include your operating system and Blackbar version (About Blackbar) and you will get a straight answer.
macOS asks for Screen Recording permission
That is expected, and it is asked for one reason: capturing a region of the screen is one of the things Blackbar does. macOS requires the Screen Recording grant for any screen capture, including a region you drag out yourself.
Grant it in System Settings ▸ Privacy & Security ▸ Screen Recording, then quit and reopen Blackbar — macOS only applies the change to a fresh launch. If you would rather not grant it, everything else still works: open an image, drag one in, or paste from the clipboard.
macOS asks for keychain access
The version downloaded from this site keeps exactly one keychain item: the date your trial started. It is there so that reinstalling the app cannot mint a fresh 14 days. It contains no personal data, no licence key and nothing about your screenshots, and it is never transmitted anywhere — the app has no network access at all.
The Mac App Store version has no trial, so it has no anchor and never asks.
Windows says the publisher is unknown
Expected. The Windows installers are not Authenticode-signed, so SmartScreen warns the first time you run one. Rather than clicking through a warning on trust alone, verify the download: every artifact's SHA-256 is listed in a GPG-signed manifest on the Windows page. Check the hash matches, and you know you have exactly the file that was published.
Linux: "Download is performed unsandboxed as root"
A notice from apt, not an error, and the install completes. It appears when
the .deb sits somewhere the _apt user cannot read, such as your
home directory. To silence it, install from a world-readable path:
sudo apt install /tmp/Blackbar_1.0.0_arm64.debLicence keys
Licences are perpetual, are not tied to a machine, and are verified offline — Blackbar
never contacts a server to check one. Paste the key into
Blackbar ▸ Enter License…, or drop the .blackbarlicense file
onto the window.
Lost your key? Email [email protected] from the address you bought with and it will be re-sent.
Which version should I have?
The direct download and the Mac App Store version are the same app with two different ways of paying. The direct build uses a 14-day trial and a licence key. The App Store build is free with a one-time in-app unlock for exporting, so there is no countdown and no key to keep track of. Buying one does not grant the other.
Reporting a security issue
Send it to [email protected]. Reports are credited if you want them to be. What the app does and does not touch on your machine is documented on Security & Privacy, including the exact permissions and the single keychain item.
Refunds
Bought directly and it is not what you expected? Email within 30 days and you get your money back, no argument. Bought through the Mac App Store? Refunds are handled by Apple at reportaproblem.apple.com — the seller is Apple, so it is not something this end can process.