Privacy Policy

1. Summary

FormatLayer is designed so that we cannot see the contents of your files. Every PDF tool on this site — Edit, Merge, Split, Compress, Rotate, Crop, Resize, Organize, Protect, Unlock, Watermark, JPG to PDF, and PDF to JPG — runs entirely in your browser. Your document is never uploaded to a FormatLayer server, never stored, and never transmitted to any third party.

2. Document processing

When you open a file in any FormatLayer tool, it is loaded directly from your device into your browser tab using the browser's File API. Parsing, editing, and re-encoding all happen locally using WebAssembly (PDF.js and pdf-lib). When you click Download, the resulting file is generated in memory and handed back to your browser as a normal file save.

We do not receive, store, log, cache, index, or process the contents of your files on any server. You can confirm this yourself by opening your browser's Network panel while using any tool — no file upload requests are made.

3. What we do not collect

• The contents of your PDFs, images, or any other file you process
• Filenames of the documents you edit
• Passwords you enter into the Unlock or Protect tools
• Signatures or drawings you make inside the editor
• Any biometric data, fingerprints, or device identifiers beyond what a normal web browser exposes

4. Optional accounts

An account is optional and is only required if you want to save preferences across devices. If you create one, we store your email address and standard authentication metadata (hashed password or OAuth identifier, account creation date, last sign-in timestamp). We never associate any document content with your account because we never receive document content.

You can delete your account at any time by emailing contact.formatlayer@gmail.com. Deletion is permanent and removes all account metadata.

5. Analytics

We use privacy-respecting analytics to understand aggregate traffic (which tools are popular, which browsers are common, which countries visitors come from). Analytics data is collected in aggregate and does not include the contents of your files, filenames, or any personally identifying information beyond what a normal web request exposes (IP address, browser user-agent, referring URL).

IP addresses used for analytics are truncated or hashed before storage. We do not use third-party advertising trackers, cross-site cookies, or session-replay tools.

6. Cookies

FormatLayer uses only strictly-necessary cookies: an authentication cookie if you are signed in, and small preference cookies (for example, remembering your last used tool settings). We do not set advertising, retargeting, or third-party tracking cookies.

7. Third-party services

The site is served through standard web hosting and CDN infrastructure. These providers may briefly log the IP address of every HTTP request to the site as part of routine network operations. They never receive the contents of files you process.

We do not embed third-party trackers, chat widgets, or ad networks that would send data to external companies while you use a tool.

8. Your rights (GDPR, CCPA, and equivalents)

Because we do not collect the contents of your files, most personal-data requests apply only to account data. If you have an account, you can request access to, correction of, export of, or deletion of that data at any time by emailing contact.formatlayer@gmail.com. We respond within 30 days.

9. Children

FormatLayer is not directed at children under 13 and does not knowingly collect data from them. If you believe a child has created an account, email us and we will delete it.

10. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy over time. Material changes will be reflected on this page with a new "Last updated" date. Substantive changes affecting accounts will also be communicated by email.

11. Contact

Privacy questions, data requests, or concerns: contact.formatlayer@gmail.com. See also our Security page for details on how documents are processed locally.