The Short Version

PDFForge does not upload your files. Your PDF documents are processed entirely inside your own browser using JavaScript. We never see your files, never store them, and never transmit them to any server. The only data we collect is standard website analytics and advertising data, described in detail below.

1. Who We Are

PDFForge (referred to in this policy as "we", "us" or "our") is a free online PDF toolkit available at pdfforge.cc. We provide browser-based PDF processing tools including merge, split, compress, rotate, remove pages, convert images to PDF, export to JPEG, and more.

For questions about this Privacy Policy, please use the Contact page.

2. Information We Do NOT Collect

We want to be completely transparent about what we do not collect:

• Your PDF files — All PDF processing happens locally in your browser. Your files are never transmitted to our servers or any third-party server. We cannot access, view or store your documents under any circumstances.
• File names or file metadata — We do not log the names of files you process, their sizes, their content or any metadata associated with them.
• Account information — PDFForge does not require registration or account creation. We do not collect email addresses, names or any personal identification information.
• Payment information — PDFForge is free. We do not process payments and do not collect financial data of any kind.

3. Information We DO Collect

3.1 Server Log Data

When you visit pdfforge.cc, our web server automatically records standard access log data. This includes your IP address (anonymised after 24 hours), the URL you requested, your browser type and version, the operating system, the referring URL (the page you came from) and the date and time of your visit. This data is used to monitor server performance, detect abuse, and diagnose technical issues. It is not linked to any personally identifiable information and is deleted after 30 days.

3.2 Analytics

We use standard website analytics to understand how visitors use PDFForge. Analytics data includes which pages are visited, how long visitors spend on each page, which tools are used most frequently, and general geographic region (country or region level — never precise location). This data is aggregated and anonymised. Individual user sessions are not tracked across visits.

3.3 Cookies and Local Storage

PDFForge stores a single item in your browser's localStorage: your preferred colour theme (light or dark mode). This is stored only on your device and is never transmitted anywhere. We do not use tracking cookies. Third-party services (Google AdSense) may set their own cookies — see Section 4 below.

3.4 Contact Form Submissions

If you send a message via our Contact page, we collect the information you voluntarily provide (name, email address and message text) in order to respond to your enquiry. This data is stored securely and is not shared with third parties. It is deleted after the matter is resolved.

4. Advertising and Third-Party Services

PDFForge is funded by non-intrusive display advertising. We use Google AdSense to serve advertisements. Google AdSense may use cookies and similar tracking technologies to serve personalised ads based on your browsing history. Google's use of advertising cookies enables it and its partners to serve ads based on your visit to PDFForge and other sites on the internet.

You can opt out of personalised advertising by visiting Google Ad Settings. You may also opt out through the Network Advertising Initiative opt-out page at networkadvertising.org.

Google's Privacy Policy is available at policies.google.com/privacy. By using PDFForge, you acknowledge that Google AdSense may collect and process data according to Google's own privacy policy, which is independent of this policy.

Third-Party Libraries

PDFForge loads several open-source JavaScript libraries from content delivery networks (CDNs) to provide its functionality:

• PDF.js — Loaded from cdnjs.cloudflare.com. Used to render PDF page thumbnails and convert PDF pages to images.
• PDF-Lib — Loaded from unpkg.com. Used to create, modify and export PDF files.
• JSZip — Loaded from cdnjs.cloudflare.com. Used to package split PDF output into ZIP archives.
• Google Fonts — Loaded from fonts.googleapis.com. Used to display the Inter typeface. Google may log the font request.

These CDN requests may log your IP address as part of standard CDN access logging. PDFForge has no control over this data. None of these libraries transmit your PDF file content to external servers — they operate entirely locally within your browser.

5. How Your Files Are Processed

We want to be as transparent as possible about the technical reality of how PDFForge works:

1. When you select or drag a file into a PDFForge tool, the file is read by your browser using the HTML5 File API. It is stored temporarily in your browser's memory (RAM).
2. The JavaScript library (PDF-Lib or PDF.js) processes the file bytes entirely within your browser's JavaScript engine.
3. The output file (merged PDF, compressed PDF, JPEG, etc.) is generated in memory and offered for download as a browser-generated blob URL.
4. When you navigate away from the page or close the tab, the browser releases the memory. No trace of your file remains anywhere on the internet.

This architecture was chosen deliberately — not as a marketing claim, but as a genuine technical commitment to privacy. We benefit from this approach too: because we never receive your files, we have no data to protect, no data breach risk, and no data retention liability.

6. Data Retention

Since we do not receive your files, there is no file data to retain or delete. Server log data is retained for a maximum of 30 days. Contact form submissions are retained until the matter is resolved and then deleted. Analytics data is retained in aggregated, anonymised form for up to 24 months to allow long-term trend analysis of site usage.

7. Your Rights

Depending on your location, you may have rights under applicable data protection laws (such as the EU General Data Protection Regulation, the UK GDPR, or the California Consumer Privacy Act). Because we collect minimal personal data, most of these rights apply in limited ways:

• Right of access — You may request a copy of any personal data we hold about you. Because we collect only server logs (anonymised) and contact form data, there is very little to provide.
• Right to erasure — You may request deletion of any personal data associated with your contact form submission.
• Right to object — You may object to personalised advertising by using the Google opt-out tools described in Section 4.
• Right to lodge a complaint — If you believe we have mishandled your data, you have the right to lodge a complaint with your national data protection authority.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us through the Contact page.

8. Children's Privacy

PDFForge is a general-purpose utility and is not directed at children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child has provided personal information through our contact form, please contact us and we will delete it promptly.

9. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or for legal, regulatory or operational reasons. When we make material changes, we will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page. Your continued use of PDFForge after any change constitutes acceptance of the updated policy. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

10. Contact

If you have any questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy or about how PDFForge handles data, please use the Contact page. We aim to respond to all enquiries within 5 business days.