Frequently Asked Questions

Yes! ExactPDF is completely free to use. There are no hidden fees, paywalls, or credit systems. We operate on a voluntary contribution model, meaning you can support us if you want, but it's not required.

Absolutely. ExactPDF uses a 'Privacy-First' architecture. All processing happens locally in your browser using WebAssembly. Your files are never uploaded to our servers, so we literally cannot see them.

We implement comprehensive security headers including Content-Security-Policy, X-Frame-Options, X-XSS-Protection, and Referrer-Policy. All APIs have rate limiting, file type validation, and filename sanitization. Read our security blog for full details.

We recently added PDF Reader (view PDFs in-browser with zoom and navigation), PDF Annotation (highlight and underline text), Batch QR to PDF (generate multiple QR codes), Add Page Numbers, Unlock PDF, Extract Pages, and PDF to Text.

Client-side processing means the heavy lifting is done by your own computer's processor (CPU) rather than a remote cloud server. This ensures your data stays on your machine and often results in faster processing for small to medium-sized files.

Many browser-local tools can continue after their required engine resources have been prepared while connected. This is not a cold-start guarantee: offline availability depends on the tool and on your browser retaining its downloaded resources.

Core PDF tools do not upload your file: it stays in browser memory and is cleared when the tab closes. Office/Word to PDF is the clearly marked exception; it sends the selected document to an isolated LibreOffice job and deletes the input and output when the request completes. Max and API are explicit hosted services with separate storage and retention controls.

We use Google Analytics 4 and Ahrefs Web Analytics to understand aggregate page and tool usage. GA4 is configured without Google Signals or ad-personalization signals. We do NOT use Facebook Pixel, remarketing pixels, or affiliate tags. File names, PDF contents, extracted text, and arbitrary query parameters are never part of analytics telemetry. You can inspect these requests in Developer Tools or block analytics without breaking the tools.

Open Developer Tools (F12) → Network and process a PDF in a browser-local tool. You will see page assets and analytics requests, but no request containing your PDF bytes. Some tools can continue after their required resources are prepared; server-backed tools, including Office to PDF and paid Max/API workflows, display their processing model separately.

If you find our tools useful, you can make a voluntary contribution via 'Buy me a coffee' or simply share the tool with your friends and colleagues!