Blog
Privacy, PDFs, and how tools that never upload your files actually work.
Redact a PDF before pasting it into an AI, without uploading it
Tools that "redact for AI" often send your extracted text to a server for the detection step, uploading the sensitive part before removing it. Here is the flow where detection runs on your device, with a measured receipt.
ReadYou blacked out the names. Did you catch the account number on page nine?
Redaction failures are rarely about the boxes you drew. They are about the ones you missed. Here is how to have the document scan itself for personal data, on your device, with nothing uploaded.
ReadHow to compress a PDF to an exact size, without uploading it
Compressing a PDF is almost always about hitting one specific number: an email cap or a portal limit. Here is how to reach an exact size without wrecking the document, or uploading it.
ReadIs Sejda safe? Yes, but its web tools upload
Sejda is a legitimate PDF editor. Its online tools upload your files to its servers, while its desktop app runs locally. Here is what that means for your privacy.
ReadYour slides are HTML now. Where is the presenter view?
HTML decks and PDF slides are everywhere, but at presenting time they are second-class citizens: no presenter view, no speaker notes, and your clicker does who-knows-what. Here is how we gave both a real presenter.
ReadWe don’t just promise your PDF stays private. We show you the counter
Every PDF tool claims your files stay private. We measure it: a live counter shows the real outbound bytes, which stay at 0. Here is how it works, and how to check it yourself.
ReadThe two AI models behind our on-device tools, and when each one runs
Our AI tools run entirely in your browser. Two models make that possible: a built-in one and a downloadable one. Here is exactly when each runs, what it needs, and where it lives.
ReadWe read the privacy policies of 10 popular PDF tools. Here is what happens to your file
Where does your file actually go when you drop it into a PDF converter? We read 10 privacy policies, quoted them, and put the answers in one table.
ReadiLovePDF is safe, but it uploads every file
iLovePDF is a legitimate, widely used service, and it works by uploading your files to its servers. Here is what its own policy says, and what you are trusting.
ReadIs PDF2Go safe? What happens to your files when you upload them
PDF2Go is a real German company with a clear privacy policy, and it works by uploading your files. Here is what that policy says, and what you are trusting.
ReadYour black boxes are not redaction
Drag your cursor across a blacked-out passage and press copy. If words appear, that document was never redacted. Here is why it keeps happening, even to the DOJ.
ReadWhy uploading sensitive PDFs is riskier than you think
Most online PDF tools upload your file to a server to process it. Here is what actually happens to it, the real risk, and how to edit PDFs without uploading at all.
ReadIntroducing PDFMergely: private PDF tools that never upload your files
A free suite of PDF tools that run entirely in your browser. No file uploads, no server-side processing, no sign-up. Here is what we built and why it matters.
ReadWe built PDF tools that can’t see your files. Here’s how
Most online PDF tools upload your documents to a server. We moved the engine into your browser instead. Here is how it works, and why it matters.
ReadIs Smallpdf safe? What happens to your files when you upload them
Uploading a PDF to an online tool sends it to someone else’s server. Here is what that actually means for your privacy, and your alternatives.
ReadHow to merge PDFs on iPhone without an app
Combine PDFs on your iPhone straight from Safari, with no app to install and nothing uploaded. Here is the quickest way.
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