Which PDF sites upload your files?

Most of them, and they say so. Of the twelve services below, ten state that your file is sent to their servers; where they give a deletion time, it runs from one hour to 72 hours. Two say the work happens in your browser. The table reports what each service’s own pages said on 14 November 2026.

Updated

What this table is, and what it isn’t

Every cell comes from the service’s own pages: its privacy policy, its security page, its help centre or the tool page itself. We read each one on 14 November 2026; the pages are linked under Sources at the end. Words in quotation marks are theirs.

It is a record of what each service states, not a test of what it does. We did not inspect anyone’s servers or measure their network traffic. Where a page does not say something, the cell reads “not stated”, which means only that: we did not find it on the pages we read.

Policies change. A retention time or an account rule that is true today may not be true next year, so check the linked page before you rely on a row. And you can test any of these sites yourself in two minutes: the guide “How to check if a PDF website uploads your file”, linked below, shows how.

What each service says about your files

Services that process files on their servers come first, then those that say they work in the browser, then this site.

ServiceDoes the file leave your device?How long it is keptAccount for basic useWhere it says so
iLovePDFYes. Files are processed “on ILOVEPDF’s servers”.Deleted “within two hours of being processed”; you can also delete them from the download screen. Signed documents are kept “for a maximum of 5 years”.Not needed: its terms list a free account for an “unregistered user”.Security page, privacy policy, terms
SmallpdfYes. Its policy speaks of “file transfers to and from our server”; its merge page calls the tool “cloud-based”.With an account: “within one hour unless you save them to your file storage”. Without one: “within a reasonable period of time after the last time they were opened”. The merge page says “after one hour”.Not needed: the policy covers people who “do not have a User Account”.Privacy notice, Merge PDF page
Adobe Acrobat online toolsYes. The file is “securely handled by Adobe servers”.The file is “deleted unless you sign in to save it”; the page gives no time.Not needed to merge and download: the result comes “with a click or by signing in”.Merge PDF page
PDF24 Tools (online)Yes. Files are “stored on a special server infrastructure for processing and subsequent download”.Files are “usually deleted one hour after uploading or creating the results”.Not needed: “No registration required”.Privacy policy, Merge PDF page
Sejda (online)Yes. “Our servers process the files for you.”The tool page says: “Automatically deleted after 2 hours.” The privacy policy gives no time.Not stated.Start page, Merge PDF page, privacy policy
PDF2GoYes. The file is “sent from your browser to our servers”.Download access is “blocked after 24 hours”, and files are “physically deleted after 72 hours” at the latest. You can delete a file yourself at any time.Not needed: its security page describes what happens to your work when you have no account.Security page, privacy policy
CloudConvertYes. Files are “transferred to and temporarily stored on CloudConvert’s servers”.Deleted “automatically at the latest after 24 hours”, or at once with the delete button.Not needed: it works “both without and with optional registration”.Privacy policy
ZamzarYes. The original is “deleted from our servers as soon as it is converted”.Free service: the converted file is stored “for a maximum of 24 hours”. Paid account: until you remove it, or 35 days after the account closes.Not needed for the free service: “you don’t need to create an account”.FAQ
FreeConvertYes. Uploaded files are “stored with Amazon Web Services” in Ireland.Files are “automatically and permanently deleted after 8 hours”; you can delete them by hand before that.Not needed: the free plan works “without the need to create an account”.Privacy policy
PDF CandyYes. Uploaded files and results are “kept on our servers”.Kept “for as long as 2 hours”, then permanently deleted.Not stated.Privacy policy
BentoPDFIt says no: “All PDF processing occurs entirely on your own computer, within your web browser”.It says nothing is stored: “We never store, track, or log your files.”It says none: “no sign-ups”.Privacy policy, start page
PDFgear (online Merge PDF)It says no: files are “processed locally in your browser”. Its privacy policy says AI features may send the content of uploaded PDF files to Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service.It says the contents “are not uploaded for merging”.It says none: “you do not need an account”.Merge PDF page, privacy policy
PDF Case (this site)No. Every tool runs in your browser, and the pages are not allowed to contact any other site.Nowhere but on your device: the file never reaches a server.None.This site; you can test it offline

What the answers have in common

Uploading is not wrongdoing. It is how most online PDF tools have always worked: the server does the job, and you download the result. The ten services that work this way say so in their own documents, and each of them states that files are deleted afterwards. Eight of the ten also say on the pages we read that the transfer is encrypted (HTTPS, SSL or TLS).

For a great many documents that is fine. A flyer, a recipe, a form with nothing private on it: an hour or a day on a server that then deletes it costs you nothing.

The differences are in the details. Stated retention runs from one hour to three days. Some services let you delete a file yourself straight away. And the two that say they process files in the browser are making a different kind of claim, one you can check on your own computer.

When the difference matters

A simple test: would you email this document to a stranger and ask them to delete it afterwards? If not, an upload deserves a second thought. That usually means:

  • Identity documents, payslips, bank statements and tax forms.
  • Contracts and anything under a confidentiality clause.
  • Medical letters and documents about other people.
  • Work and client files: an employer, a client or a regulator may not allow them to be passed to an outside service, however briefly it keeps them.

Desktop apps from the same companies

Several of the services above also offer a desktop app and describe it as working on your computer. iLovePDF’s desktop page speaks of “processing your files on your computer”. Sejda says of Sejda Desktop that “the files never leave your computer”. PDF24 says of PDF24 Creator that “all files remain on your PC”.

If you like one of these tools and the document is sensitive, its desktop version may be the answer. Read what each one says first: iLovePDF’s terms, for instance, note that online tools used through the desktop app still process files on its servers.

How to check any of them yourself

Load the page, switch off the network and run the tool. If you still get a result, the work happened on your device. Or open your browser’s developer tools, watch the Network tab and look for a request as large as your file. The guide “How to check if a PDF website uploads your file” has the steps for Chrome, Firefox and Safari. Run the same test on this site.

Tools for this

Files are processed on this device and never uploaded.

Questions

Do online PDF tools upload my files?
Most do. Ten of the twelve services in this table state that files are sent to their servers for processing. Two say they process files in your browser, as PDF Case does.
How long do PDF sites keep uploaded files?
By their own statements on 14 November 2026: from one hour (PDF24, Smallpdf with an account) through two hours (iLovePDF, Sejda, PDF Candy), eight hours (FreeConvert) and 24 hours (CloudConvert, Zamzar’s free service) to 72 hours at the latest (PDF2Go).
Is it wrong to use a PDF site that uploads files?
No. For documents with nothing private in them it is a reasonable choice, and these services say they delete files afterwards. It matters for documents you would not hand to a stranger or are not allowed to share.
How can I tell whether a PDF site really works in my browser?
Load the page, turn off your network connection and use the tool. If it still produces a result, the file was processed on your device. This works on any site, including this one.

Sources

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