Which popular converters upload your files?
We read the public privacy notices and help pages linked below. We did not send sample files to these companies, and this is not a ranking of quality or safety. A policy can change. The date we read these pages was 18 October 2026.
| Service | File sent to their servers? | What their page says about keeping it |
|---|---|---|
| InBrowserConvert | No. Conversion runs in your browser. | The file is not stored here. A separate analytics event can include the tool name and a file-count bucket, not the file. |
| Squoosh | The app says images stay on the device. | Its project page also says analytics can include the before and after file size, not the image. |
| Smallpdf | Yes. The privacy notice describes files you upload. | Without an account, it aims to delete files within a reasonable time after they were last opened. With an account, within one hour unless you save them. |
| iLovePDF | Yes. The privacy notice describes files processed on its servers. | It says those files are deleted within two hours, except iLoveSign, which has its own terms. |
| Adobe Acrobat online | Yes. Adobe’s help says the tools upload files to Adobe cloud storage. | If you do not sign in, Adobe says it soon deletes the file. If you sign in to save it, the file stays in your account. |
| CloudConvert | Yes. The privacy policy says selected files are transferred to its servers. | It says files are deleted automatically after 24 hours at the latest, or sooner if you delete them. |
| Convertio | Yes. The privacy page describes uploaded files. | It says input files are deleted right after conversion. Output files are deleted after 24 hours, or sooner if you delete them. |
| Zamzar | Yes. The privacy policy describes files you submit. | Without an account, the privacy policy says files and outputs are kept no longer than 7 days. The FAQ describes a shorter hold for the free service. |
InBrowserConvert
Photos and PDFs are converted in this browser. The privacy page explains how to check the network list. After a conversion, the page can send one event to this same site: the tool id, a file-count bucket (1, 2–5, 6–20, or 21+), and success or fail. That event does not include the file name, the file size, or the contents.
Squoosh
Squoosh, from Chrome Labs, says on its homepage: “Images never leave your device since Squoosh does all the work locally.” The project README says compression is local, and that Google Analytics collects basic visitor data and the before and after image size. It does not say the image itself is uploaded.
squoosh.app · README, privacy section
Smallpdf
Smallpdf’s privacy notice says that if you upload files for its PDF services, it processes those files and metadata such as the file name, size, and type. It says file transfers to and from its server use TLS, and that Hetzner processes files uploaded by the user, stored temporarily in the EU. For someone without an account, it says it will generally aim to delete user files within a reasonable period after they were last opened. For someone using an account, it says it deletes user files within one hour unless they are saved to file storage.
iLovePDF
iLovePDF’s privacy notice says it acts as a processor for personal data in files you provide so it can perform the service, and that it will not access or analyze file content except as needed to provide the service. It says it does not use that content to train AI models. The same notice says that, except for iLoveSign, it deletes files within two hours of being processed on its servers. The notice names iLoveIMG and iLoveSign as services of the same company. iLoveSign has its own storage terms, which this summary does not restate.
Adobe Acrobat online
Adobe’s help for Acrobat online services says those tools upload your files to Adobe cloud storage. It says that if you do not sign in, Adobe soon deletes the file from its servers, and that signing in to save or share a file stores it in your Adobe account. The free online PDF editor page says the file will be handled by Adobe servers and deleted unless you sign in to save it.
Adobe Acrobat online FAQ · Acrobat online PDF editor
CloudConvert
CloudConvert’s privacy policy says that in the course of providing the service, selected files are transferred to and temporarily stored on CloudConvert’s servers. It says you can delete files immediately, and that deletion happens automatically after 24 hours at the latest. Its security page says each conversion runs in an isolated container.
cloudconvert.com/privacy · cloudconvert.com/security
Convertio
Convertio’s privacy page says it does not read, look into, or copy your files, and that you can delete uploaded files yourself. It says input files and temporary files are deleted instantly after conversion, and that output files are deleted after 24 hours unless you delete them first. It also says it journals impersonalized data such as IP address, input and output file types, and whether the conversion succeeded.
Zamzar
Zamzar’s privacy policy says that if you do not have an account, files you submit and their converted outputs are stored for no longer than 7 days, then removed. Its FAQ says the original file is deleted once it is converted, that a free-service result is held for a maximum of 24 hours, and that a failed conversion can keep the original for up to seven days. Both pages describe the file being sent to Zamzar. They do not describe the same holding time, so both are listed here.
zamzar.com/privacy · zamzar.com/faq
What this page does not say
Uploading a file is not the same as misusing it. Several of these companies say they delete files after a stated time and do not read them beyond the conversion. This page does not judge those statements. It only records that the file is sent to a server, which you can check in the sources above. A tool that keeps the file on your device never has that copy to delete.