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PDFNova

File privacy

Your documents are processed on your own device. Here is what that means, what it does not mean, and how to check it for yourself.

Last updated 2026-11-10

The short version

When you open a file in a PDFNova tool, your browser reads it from your disk into the memory of this tab. The tool's code — which your browser downloaded when the page loaded — rewrites the PDF right there, and the result is handed back to you as a download. There is no upload step. PDFNova does not run a server that accepts files, so there is nowhere for your document to go.

An analogy

Most online PDF services work like a print shop: you hand over your document, they work on it on their premises, and hand back the result. You have to trust what happens to it while it is there.

PDFNova works more like a set of tools lent to you. The website gives your browser the tools (the code), and you use them at home (on your device). The website never sees what you made with them.

What happens, step by step

  1. Loading the page. Your browser downloads the page and its JavaScript from our static host, like any website. Tools that show page previews also load pdf.js, Mozilla's open-source PDF renderer, from the same host.
  2. Choosing a file. Selecting or dropping a file gives this tab permission to read that one file. Web pages cannot browse your folders or read other files.
  3. Processing. The open-source pdf-lib library parses the PDF and builds the new version in memory. Previews are drawn by pdf.js in a background thread (a web worker), also inside your browser.
  4. Saving. The finished bytes are turned into a temporary local link (a “blob” URL) that your browser saves to your downloads. That link only exists inside your browser.
  5. Leaving. Closing or reloading the tab discards everything. Nothing is stored for later — no copy of your file is written to browser storage.

How to verify it yourself

You do not have to take our word for any of this. Three checks, from easiest to most thorough:

1. Go offline

Open a tool and wait for the page to finish loading. Then turn off Wi-Fi, unplug the network cable or enable airplane mode. Choose a file and use the tool. It works, because nothing needs to be sent anywhere. (Tools that show previews prepare the preview engine as soon as the page opens, so give the page a few seconds before disconnecting.)

2. Watch the network

In a desktop browser, open the developer tools (F12, or Cmd+Option+I on a Mac) and select the Network tab. Clear the list, then process a file. You will see no request carrying your document. If advertising is enabled on the site and you accepted cookies, you may see requests to Google ad servers; they are made by the ad script and do not contain your file.

3. Check the security policy

The site is served with a Content-Security-Policy header that limits which servers the page may contact. You can inspect it in the developer tools under the page's response headers. Its connect-src list contains only this site and, when enabled, Google's advertising and analytics endpoints — no file-processing service.

What PDFNova can see

Being precise matters here, so this is the complete list:

  • Our host's standard request logs. Like any website, the static hosting provider receives your IP address, browser type and the pages requested when you load the site. File contents and file names are not part of these requests.
  • Your theme and cookie choices, stored in your browser's local storage on your device. We cannot read them.
  • Advertising and analytics, if enabled and only if you accept. See the privacy policy and cookie page. These scripts receive normal page information such as the address of the page you are on; we never pass file names or contents to them.

What local processing does not protect against

Local processing removes one big risk — handing your file to a stranger's server. It does not cover everything:

  • Your own device. Downloaded results sit in your downloads folder, and may be synced by cloud backup software you use.
  • Browser extensions. Extensions with permission to read pages can, in principle, see what any page does. Use a private window with extensions disabled if this concerns you.
  • The content itself. Removing metadata does not remove names written in the document. Deleting a page here does remove its content from the new file, but your original file is unchanged.

Why some features are missing

Keeping processing local has a cost. Features that would need heavy server-side software, such as converting Word files or recognising text in scans, are not offered. We would rather offer fewer tools than ask you to upload documents.

Questions

If anything on this page is unclear or you believe it is inaccurate, please contact us.