PRIVATE BY DESIGN

Privacy & Security

A plain-English explanation of what happens to your files when you use FreePDF.

Effective date: 17 August 2026 South Africa

The short version

Private by design: supported FreePDF document tools are built so the file-processing work happens in your browser. Your document does not need to be uploaded to FreePDF’s server for the tool to do its job.

What happens when you choose a file

  1. You select a PDF or supported image from your device.
  2. Your browser gives the FreePDF tool temporary access to the selected file for the task you requested.
  3. FreePDF’s browser-side JavaScript/WebAssembly processes the file on your device.
  4. The finished file is created for you to download or save.

The document-processing workflow is different from a traditional upload-and-process website because the supported task does not require the file contents to be sent to our application server.

What our web server can still see

When you visit any website, your browser must make ordinary network requests. FreePDF’s hosting, security and network infrastructure may therefore receive technical website information such as your IP address, browser information, requested URLs, timestamps, error information and security logs.

That ordinary website metadata should not be confused with the contents of the PDF or image selected inside a browser-processing tool.

Passwords

Passwords entered into the Protect PDF or Unlock PDF tools are intended to be used locally by the browser-side processing engine. FreePDF does not provide password recovery for protected documents.

Use Unlock PDF only for files you own or are authorised to modify.

Local storage

Some features may let you save preferences or reusable business details on your own device using browser local storage. This is useful for repeat invoice or payslip generation, but it also means that someone who can access the same browser profile may be able to see locally saved information.

Do not save sensitive local profiles on a public or shared computer. You can clear site data through your browser settings.

Browser memory and finished files

While a tool is working, document data may temporarily exist in browser memory. Browser memory is controlled by the browser and operating system. Finished files are saved only when you choose to download or save them.

For important documents, keep your original file until you have checked the output.

Open-source processing engines

FreePDF uses established browser-capable open-source components including pdf-lib, PDF.js, JSZip and a QPDF WebAssembly build. Details are published on our Open-Source Licences page.

Important security boundaries

  • No browser-based system can protect you from malware already present on your own device.
  • A malicious or compromised browser extension may have permissions outside FreePDF’s control.
  • Public or shared devices can expose locally stored information to other users.
  • Downloaded files are under your control once saved to your device.
  • Optional PDF permissions such as “no printing” or “no copying” may be enforced differently by different PDF readers.

Tool-specific privacy considerations

Fill & Sign

Signatures and marks are added in the browser. Treat a saved signature image as sensitive information and avoid leaving it on a shared device.

Invoice and Payslip Generators

These tools can contain financial, employment and contact information. Use them on a trusted device and clear local profiles when using a shared computer.

PDF to Text

Extracted text is displayed in your browser. Copying it to another app, clipboard-sync service or cloud service is a separate action controlled by you and that service.

Questions or security reports

If you believe you have found a security or privacy issue affecting FreePDF, contact hello@freepdf.co.za. Please do not include sensitive document contents unless we specifically ask for information needed to investigate the issue.