Show HN: Mail Memories – A desktop app to rescue photos from Gmail

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Summary

Mail Memories is a desktop app that scans your Gmail inbox locally to extract and organize photo attachments, offering a free trial for the first 50 photos and a one-time payment for unlimited recovery.

Hey HN, I’m the creator of Mail Memories. Like many of you, I&#x27;ve had my Gmail address for more than 20 years. A few years ago, I got curious and wanted to see what photos were buried deep in my account. I ended up finding lots of &quot;lost&quot; pictures of old friends, family members, and a ridiculous number of vintage memes.<p>I originally built and launched this as a SaaS, but even with code and policies in place that kept users&#x27; photos private, I figured everyone would feel more comfortable with a desktop app.<p>So, I threw out the server architecture and completely rewrote it as a 100% local desktop app for Mac and Windows.<p>How it works now: The app connects directly to Google&#x27;s server from your computer, processes everything entirely on your system, and saves photos straight to your hard drive.<p>You can download your 50 oldest photos for free (no credit card required) just to see what&#x27;s in there. If you want to download all the pictures in your account, it&#x27;s a one-time payment of $29. No subscriptions.<p>If you have an old, pre-2010 Gmail account, definitely give it a spin. You&#x27;ll be surprised at what you find deep in your archive.<p>I&#x27;d love to hear your feedback on the layout, scanning performance, or anything else.<p>TL;DR: I turned my SaaS into a local desktop app (Mac&#x2F;Windows) that recovers decades of forgotten photos from your Gmail. 100% local, no cloud, no subscriptions, no AI.
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# Mail Memories | Rescue Your Photos Source: [https://mailmemories.com/](https://mailmemories.com/) Overview## Decades of forgotten photos are trapped in your Gmail account\. It’s time to bring them home\. Securely scan your entire email history to locate every photo attachment you’ve ever received\. Mail Memories runs 100% locally on your computer to rescue your memories, neatly organized and ready to share\. Rescue your oldest 50 photos free— No credit card required\. ![Mail Memories app interface showing number of photos rescued](https://mailmemories.com/assets/images/screen-mac.webp)The Problem## Existence isn’t ownership\. Technically, your photos are in your inbox\. But practically? They’re gone\. A cherished memory buried under decades of newsletters, receipts, and spam isn’t something you have—it’s just data\. If you can’t find it, view it, or share it, it might as well not exist\. Mail Memories was built to bridge that gap\. SolutionTake ownership with Mail Memories, a powerful utility that scans your entire email history, finds every single photo, and saves them in a neat, organized folder on your computer\. Your memories back in your hands\. - **First memories\.**The photo of your first pet, your first car, or from your first job\. - **“I remember them\!”**Photos of old friends and colleagues you haven’t seen in decades\. “I found photos of my niece I thought were lost forever\. Thank you so much\!” Details ## How it works\. Mail Memories securely brings your photos home to your hard drive\. ### Direct Connect Your computer connects directly to Gmail via a single\-purpose access code\. ### Local Scan The app scans your inbox for images\. Your original emails are never modified or deleted\. ### Organized Library Photos are saved to your computer, neatly sorted into folders by year \(e\.g\., 2004, 2005, 2006\)\. PricingLaunch Special ## Own your history\. Forever\. Mail Memories is free to try\. Scan your inbox and rescue your oldest 50 photos completely for free\. Only pay when you’re ready to bring your entire multi\-year archive home\. No subscriptions\. - Unlimited photo downloads for one account - Rescue photos in original, full quality - Metadata & dates preserved for organization - Secure checkout via Stripe \(in\-app\) One payment\. No subscriptions\. Thousands of memories home for good\. 100% Local ## Private by design\. Cloud\-free\. Mail Memories is a standalone desktop app, not a cloud service\. Only you can see your photos\. A secure, single\-purpose access code connects your machine directly to Google’s secure servers, and is cleared from memory the moment you close the app\. Common QuestionsCan anyone see my emails?No\. Mail Memories is a local desktop application, not a cloud service\. When it scans your inbox, your computer talks directly to Google’s servers\. Your emails, passwords, and photos never pass through our servers, and**we have zero access to them**\. Can I try it first?Yes\! The initial download and scan are completely free\. Mail Memories will connect to your account and download the first 50 oldest photos for free\. You only pay when you’re ready to download the rest\. How does it securely connect to my Gmail?Mail Memories uses Google’s official App Passwords protocol\. Your computer connects privately and directly to Google’s mail servers—**no third\-party servers ever touch your data**\. You never enter your primary Google password into the app\. Instead, you generate a dedicated, single\-purpose 16\-character code inside your Google account settings\. This code is stored in memory on your computer and is instantly wiped when you close the app\. You remain in total control and can revoke this access at any time with one click inside Google\. Does this delete emails or images?No\. Mail Memories is**read\-only**\. It scans your email to find photos, copies them to your computer, and leaves the original email exactly where it was\. It cannot delete or modify your inbox\. What if I want to scan multiple accounts \(or gift a scan\)?Each $29 license is tied to a single, verified Gmail address\. However, during checkout, you can add additional licenses for your own secondary accounts—or as a gift token for friends and family—for just $14 each \(50% off\)\. Note: Mail Memories only supports @gmail\.com addresses\. What if my internet cuts out or my computer sleeps?Don’t worry\. Mail Memories is built for massive archives\. If your connection drops or your laptop lid closes, simply reopen the app\. It will automatically resume exactly where it left off without downloading duplicate photos or wasting bandwidth\. Where do the photos go?The app creates a folder called “Mail Memories” in your Pictures folder\. Inside, it organizes everything by year \(e\.g\., 2004, 2005, 2006\) so you can easily import them into Apple Photos, Windows Photos, or keep them neatly archived as files\. About![Photo of Carlos, creator of Mail Memories](https://mailmemories.com/assets/images/profile.jpg) Found a wonderful memory? **Hi, I’m Carlos\.** I created Mail Memories out of a simple curiosity:*What was I doing 20 years ago?*When I ran the first scan, I found photos of my late grandmother, pictures of old friends, and moments I’d completely forgotten about\. I was really surprised by what I found, and I think you will be too\. ## Ready to bring them home? Download the desktop app and rescue your oldest 50 photos completely for free\.

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