PDF Privacy: What Happens to Your Files Online
6 min read
Every time you upload a document to an online tool, you are handing a copy to someone else's server. For a tax return, a contract, or an ID scan, that deserves a moment of thought: where does the file go, who can read it, and when is it deleted?
This guide explains how AllDayPDF approaches those questions and gives you a checklist for judging any online document tool.
Browser-side processing: the strongest option
Most AllDayPDF tools — image conversion, merging, splitting, signing, and Small/Medium compression — run entirely in your browser using WebAssembly. The file is read from your device, processed by code running in the tab, and written back to your downloads. It is never transmitted anywhere.
You can verify this yourself: open your browser's network inspector, process a file, and watch — no document data leaves. Browser-side processing is the same reason the tools work offline once the page has loaded.
When a server is involved
One operation needs server-side processing: Maximum compression. When you use it, the file is uploaded over an encrypted connection, processed, and stored privately with an unpredictable path. Download links expire, and the file is automatically deleted within one hour — you can also delete it immediately from the workspace.
The workspace shows a live availability countdown for server-processed downloads so you always know how long a link remains valid.
What we never do with your documents
- No AI training on your files.
- No advertising or analytics use of document contents.
- No selling or sharing of files with third parties.
- No permanent storage — server-processed files are deleted within one hour.
A checklist for any online PDF tool
Before uploading a sensitive document to any service, including this one, ask:
- Does the tool say where processing happens — browser or server?
- Is there a written retention policy (how long files are kept)?
- Is the connection encrypted (https)?
- Does the privacy policy name what is collected and why?
- Can you delete the file yourself, and do download links expire?
Practical habits for sensitive documents
Prefer browser-side tools for anything you would not email unencrypted. Remove password protection only when a tool requires it, and re-protect the result if the document needs it. And when you are done, clear your downloads folder — the copy on your own device is the one you control.