What happens to your file
No legalese. Just a plain explanation of exactly what FreePDFs does - and doesn't do - with your documents.
The short version
- Most tools run entirely in your browser. Your file never leaves your device.
- Three conversion tools (PDF to Word, Excel to PDF, PowerPoint to PDF) send your file to a secure server. It is deleted immediately after conversion - nothing is stored.
- We show ads via Google AdSense to keep the site free. AdSense collects standard ad-targeting data.
- We have no user accounts and set no tracking cookies of our own.
- If you contact us via the form, your name and email are used only to reply to you.
Your file never leaves your device 30+ tools
The majority of FreePDFs tools - including Merge, Split, Compress, Sign, Rotate, Watermark, Protect, Unlock, Extract, Reorder, and all the tools under Edit & Sign - run entirely inside your browser tab using open-source libraries (PDF.js and pdf-lib).
Here's what happens technically: your file is read into your browser's memory, processed in JavaScript, and the result is written back to your device as a download. At no point does the file travel over any network. Close the tab and it's gone from memory entirely.
You can verify this yourself by turning off your internet connection after the page loads - these tools will still work.
Sent, converted, deleted 3 tools
Three tools require a server: PDF to Word, Excel to PDF, and PowerPoint to PDF. These conversions depend on LibreOffice, which cannot run inside a browser.
When you use one of these tools, your file is sent over HTTPS to a server hosted on Fly.io. LibreOffice runs the conversion, the output file is returned to your browser, and both the input and output are deleted immediately. There is no database, no storage bucket, no file log, and no retention period - the server is a conversion engine only.
- Files are transmitted over HTTPS (encrypted in transit)
- The server does not store files after conversion
- No file names, contents, or metadata are logged
- The conversion server has no access to any other part of the site
How FreePDFs stays free
FreePDFs is free because it shows ads via Google AdSense. We don't charge for tools, sell user data, or run a freemium model with paywalls. Ads are the only revenue.
Google AdSense may collect standard information to serve relevant ads: your IP address (used to infer general location), browser and device type, and browsing behaviour across sites that use AdSense. This data is collected and processed by Google under their own privacy policy.
You can opt out of personalised ads at adssettings.google.com, or use an ad blocker - we won't gate any tools behind ad-viewing requirements.
What we don't collect
FreePDFs has no user accounts. You don't register, log in, or hand over an email address to use any tool. We don't set first-party tracking cookies, run analytics scripts, or build profiles of visitors.
If you fill in the contact form on the About page, your name, email, and message are used solely to reply to you. They are not added to a mailing list, stored in a CRM, or shared with anyone.
Questions?
If you have questions about how your data is handled, reach out directly.
Last updated: May 2026