Privacy Architecture
Our core promise: “Your files never leave this device.”
The Client-Only Model
When you use PDFolio, your files are processed entirely by your web browser's local JavaScript and WebAssembly engine. At no point in the document lifecycle is any file transmitted over HTTP/HTTPS to an external server or cloud service.
Technical Verification
You can inspect this yourself: open your browser's Developer Tools (F12 or right-click > Inspect), go to the Network tab, and process any file in PDFolio. You will observe zero POST/PUT network requests containing your file data.
1. Memory Buffer Handling
Selected PDF documents and images are read via the standard HTML5 FileReader API into temporary ArrayBuffer and Uint8Array memory allocations. Once processing finishes and you close the tab, the garbage collector disposes of all memory allocations.
2. Local Session Recovery (IndexedDB)
To prevent work loss if your browser accidentally refreshes, PDFolio saves job metadata (such as task timestamps and file names) to your local browser's IndexedDB storage. This data is strictly stored on your own hard drive and is never synchronized to the cloud. You can clear this history at any time with a single click.
3. No Analytics or Third-Party Scripts
PDFolio does not use intrusive tracking cookies, third-party analytics pixels, or telemetry beacons. Fonts and icons are bundled for offline readiness, ensuring no fingerprinting or external telemetry occurs while working with your documents.
4. Honest Capability Disclosures
Some file transformations (like PDF to Word DOCX layout reconstruction or OCR) cannot be completed accurately in pure client-side JavaScript without heavy native server engines. Rather than silently uploading your files or returning simulated fake results, PDFolio explicitly labels those features as “Not supported in private offline mode.”