Privacy Policy

Last updated: 2 August 2026

The short version: your files never leave your device. All PDF processing happens locally in your browser. We cannot see, store, or access any file you use with our tools. Advertising, described in section 4, is the only part of this site that involves third parties.

1. Who we are

The Local PDF ("we", "us") operates the website thelocalpdf.com, which provides free, browser-based PDF utilities. We are an independent project based in Portugal and act as the data controller for the limited personal data described in this policy. You can contact us at hello@thelocalpdf.com.

2. Your files

Our tools run entirely in your web browser using JavaScript. When you select or drop a file:

The file is read into your browser's memory on your own device.
All processing — merging, compressing, shrinking — happens on your device.
The file is never uploaded, transmitted, or sent to our servers or anyone else's.
When you close or reload the page, the file data is discarded from memory.
Downloaded results are written by your browser to your own device.

We have no technical means of accessing your files, and we keep no copies, logs, or metadata about them. This site has no server-side application: it is a set of static files. You can verify this by loading a tool page, disconnecting from the internet, and continuing to use it.

3. What we do not collect

We do not operate user accounts, and we do not ask for or store your name, email address, or any other identifier unless you choose to email us. We do not use analytics software, and we set no cookies of our own. The only third-party technology on this site is advertising, described next.

4. Advertising and cookies

This website is free to use and is funded by advertising. We use Google AdSense to display ads. Google and its advertising partners may use cookies, device identifiers, and similar technologies to serve ads, limit how often you see the same ad, measure performance, detect fraud, and — where you have consented, or where another lawful basis applies — personalise the ads you see based on your visits to this and other websites.

Google's use of advertising cookies is described in Google's advertising policies and its privacy and terms for partners.
You can manage ad personalisation at Google Ads Settings.
You can opt out of some third-party ad cookies at aboutads.info or youronlinechoices.com (EU).
Your browser's own settings let you block or delete cookies entirely. The tools on this site work normally without them.

Advertising has no access to your documents. Files are never transmitted, so there is nothing about their content that any advertiser, ad network, or third party could observe.

5. Consent (EEA, UK, and Switzerland)

If you visit from the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom, or Switzerland, a consent message is shown before personalised advertising cookies are set. It is provided through a consent management platform registered with the IAB Europe Transparency & Consent Framework and integrated with Google's advertising systems. You can consent, refuse, or manage individual purposes and vendors, and you can change your choice at any time using the privacy or consent settings link shown with the message. If you refuse, ads may still appear but will be non-personalised.

6. Technical data from hosting

Like any website, our hosting provider automatically records basic technical information when a page is served, such as IP address, browser type, referring page, and the time of the request. This is used for security and operational purposes and to keep the site available. It is not linked to your files, which are never transmitted in the first place, and we do not use it to build profiles.

7. Links to other sites

Our guides link to external documentation and open-source projects, and advertisements link to third-party websites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those sites, and we encourage you to read their policies.

8. Legal bases

Where the GDPR applies, we rely on: your consent for personalised advertising cookies and any similar technologies requiring it; our legitimate interests in operating, securing, and maintaining the website for the technical data described in section 6, and in showing non-personalised advertising to fund a free service; and consent or legitimate interest, as applicable, when you contact us by email and we reply.

9. Retention

We hold no file data at any time. Emails you send us are kept only as long as needed to deal with your message and any follow-up. Technical logs held by our hosting provider are retained for a short period in line with that provider's standard practice.

10. Your rights

Under the GDPR and similar laws you may have rights to access, correct, delete, port, or restrict processing of personal data concerning you, to object to processing based on legitimate interests, and to withdraw consent at any time. Because we do not collect your files and operate no accounts, the personal data involved is limited to the advertising and technical data described above. To exercise your rights or ask a question, contact hello@thelocalpdf.com. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority; in Portugal this is the Comissão Nacional de Proteção de Dados (CNPD).

11. International transfers

Our advertising and hosting providers may process technical and advertising data outside the European Economic Area. Where they do, they rely on transfer mechanisms such as the European Commission's standard contractual clauses or an adequacy decision. Your documents are never transferred anywhere, because they are never transmitted.

12. Children

This website is a general-audience utility and is not directed at children. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children.

13. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. The date at the top of this page shows when it was last revised. Continued use of the website after changes means you accept the updated policy.