Hidden Tokens / Academy / Lesson 1
Install Hidden Tokens and start the trial
Install the Hidden Tokens desktop app (Mac with Apple Silicon, or Windows 10 and 11): it watches a folder and codes every document you put in it, on your computer, before any AI reads it. The 14-day trial needs no account and no card; on Windows, the installer is not signed yet, so SmartScreen asks you to confirm once.
Before you start
You need about 200 MB of free space and permission to install an app on your computer. If your organisation manages your computer, IT may have to allow it: Hidden Tokens installs per user, without administrator rights, but some companies block unknown installers.
Step by step
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Download the installer for your computer
On the download section, take the
.dmgfor a Mac or the.exefor Windows. The Mac version needs Apple Silicon (M1 or later): there is no version for Intel Macs. On a Mac, Apple menu › About This Mac says "Chip: Apple M…" if yours qualifies. -
Install it: on a Mac
Open the
.dmgand drag Hidden Tokens into Applications, then open it from Applications. The app is signed and notarised by Apple: it opens without a warning. Its icon appears in the menu bar, at the top right of the screen. -
Install it: on Windows, past SmartScreen
Run the
.exe. Because the installer is not signed with a Windows certificate yet, SmartScreen shows "Windows protected your PC": click More info, then Run anyway. It installs for your user only, without administrator rights. The icon appears in the notification area, at the bottom right (behind the ^ arrow if it is hidden). -
Answer the first-launch questions
The app opens with Welcome to Hidden Tokens and offers Choose a folder…: you can do it now or in lesson 2. It also asks Check for updates every week?. Hidden Tokens makes no network request unless you say yes or click Check for updates… (connects to GitHub) yourself; only the version number and your IP address go to GitHub, never a file.
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Find your trial status
Click the Hidden Tokens icon: the first lines of the menu give the app version and the licence status, for example a trial with the days left. The 14 days start with your first coded file, not with the installation. After the trial, decoding files you already coded stays free.
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Download the sample folder
Download the Academy sample folder (.zip) and unzip it on your Desktop. It holds a letter, a payroll spreadsheet, a contract and an identity card scan, all invented. Every next lesson uses it: never practise on a real file.
What can go wrong
- "Hidden Tokens can't be opened" on a Mac usually means an Intel Mac: the app needs Apple Silicon.
- SmartScreen shows no "Run anyway" button. Click More info first; if your organisation disabled it, ask IT to allow the installer.
- You can't find the icon. On a Mac, the menu bar may be full: close another menu bar app or widen the screen. On Windows, click the ^ arrow in the notification area.
- macOS asks whether Hidden Tokens can access Documents or Desktop. Accept: it is the app that reads your files, not the AI. Until you answer, nothing is coded.
Check yourself
Three questions, answered on this page. Nothing is sent anywhere.
✓ Lesson done: every step ticked and every answer right. Your progress stays in this browser only.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need an account or a credit card for the trial?
No. The trial runs on your computer for 14 days from your first coded file, with every feature. Nothing is sent to Hidden Tokens to start it, which also means we don't know who uses the trial.
Does Hidden Tokens connect to the internet?
Not by default. It checks for updates only when you click "Check for updates", or once a week if you accepted that; then only the version number and your IP address go to GitHub, never a file, a key or a folder name. Your files are coded on your computer.
Why is there no version for Intel Macs?
The app is built for Apple Silicon only. On an Intel Mac, the Claude Desktop connector alone can still be installed from the download section, without the watched folder.
Written for app 0.14.4 and connector 2.42.0 on . Not yet replayed on screen on Mac and Windows: if a label differs from what you see, trust your screen and tell us.