Local privacy in PDFine
PDFine is designed to reduce document exposure. In the main tools, the PDF is processed in your browser and is not uploaded to PDFine servers for editing.
Practical rule: if the PWA is already loaded and the tool does not require a connection, you can work even without internet.
What "local" means
- The file opens in your browser.
- Compatible operations run on your device.
- The output is generated locally and downloaded from your session.
- PDFine does not require an account for these routes.
Privacy matrix by tool type
| Tool type | Processing | Offline | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Merge PDFs, split, extract, organize, rotate, delete pages | Local | Ready if the PWA is loaded | Depends on PDF size and device memory. |
| Compress PDF | Local | Ready | May rasterize pages; review the result if selectable text matters. |
| PDF to JPG and PDF to PNG | Local | Ready | Rasterizes pages; for long documents, convert specific ranges. |
| OCR PDF | Local | Ready if the OCR engine is cached | Uses CPU/memory; iOS may require defensive limits. |
| Fill & sign PDF, watermark, numbering | Local | Ready | Review positions before sharing sensitive documents. |
| PDF to Word and local Office to PDF | Local | Ready for normal documents | Does not promise 1:1 fidelity against desktop office suites. |
| Site analytics | Aggregated technical metrics | Not applicable | Not designed to analyze PDF contents. |
How to check it
- Open PDFine and let the PWA load.
- Turn on airplane mode or disconnect the internet.
- Open a small PDF and try a local tool such as merge, compress, or sign.
- If the tool works, processing is happening on your device.
Honest limits
Local privacy does not remove browser limits. Huge files, long OCR jobs, large batches, or low-memory devices may require limits, cancellation, or manual review.
Security also depends on your browser, operating system, installed extensions, and device state.