Privacy Policy

Last updated: 6 August 2026

At PDFDock, privacy is not a setting you switch on. It is the way the product is built. Every tool on this site runs inside your web browser, on your own device. When you merge, split, compress, sign, or OCR a file, that work happens locally in your browser's memory. Your document is never uploaded, streamed, or copied to us or to anyone else. This policy explains, in plain language, the limited account and billing data we do handle.

The short version

• Your files never leave your device. There is no upload step, so we never receive, store, or process your document contents.
• A free account is required to access the workspace. A verified account receives 10 local Free tasks each month and can save parameter-only tool settings.
• We collect the bare minimum needed to operate the website and maintain your verified workspace account.
• We do not sell your data, and we do not use advertising trackers.

Why PDFDock is different

Most online PDF services ask you to hand your documents to a remote server, where they are processed and then, hopefully, deleted. Contracts, medical records, financial statements, and identity documents all make that round trip. PDFDock removes the round trip entirely. Modern browsers are powerful enough to do the work on your machine, so we let them. The practical result is simple: the most sensitive information you handle here, the contents of your PDFs, is information we are structurally incapable of seeing.

Information we do not collect

• Document contents. The files you open in any tool, the text within them, and the results you generate all stay on your device.
• File names and metadata. These are read locally to perform the task and are never transmitted to us.
• Your processing history. We do not keep a log of which files you worked on or what you did with them.

Information we do collect

To operate a reliable website and account-secured workspace, we collect a limited set of data:

• Account information. To access the workspace, we store your verified email address, optional display name, and authentication session information needed to keep you signed in. PDFDock supports passwordless email sign-in and an optional password; credentials are handled by our authentication provider and PDFDock does not store plaintext passwords.
• Usage and settings metadata. For a signed-in account, we store the monthly count of core tasks, tool identifiers used for that count, and any saved parameter-only presets or Team workspace metadata. We do not store source PDFs, filenames, document-derived text, page images, or generated files.
• Billing information (paid plans only). Stripe processes payment details. We store only billing identifiers and subscription metadata needed to provide access, including Stripe customer and subscription IDs, plan, status, price ID, seats, cancellation setting, and billing-period dates. We do not receive or store full card numbers.
• Support correspondence. If you contact us, we store your name, email address, topic, and message so we can respond and follow up.
• Essential technical data. Our hosting provider may process standard request logs and security information, such as IP address and browser metadata, to operate and protect the service.

How we use information

We use the limited data we collect to provide and secure the service, to maintain your account and process subscription payments, to respond to your questions, to understand which features are useful so we can improve them, and to comply with our legal obligations. We do not use your information to build advertising profiles, and we never sell it.

Cookies and local storage

We use only essential cookies and browser storage needed to remember your interface preferences and keep you signed in. Optional, anonymous analytics may be used to count feature usage. You are always in control. Full details are in our Cookie Policy.

Sharing and third parties

We share data only with the small number of providers required to run PDFDock: Vercel for hosting, Supabase for authentication and the application database, and Stripe for subscription billing and the customer billing portal. Each provider receives only the data needed to provide its service. We may also disclose information if required by law, or to protect the rights, safety, and security of PDFDock and its users.

Data retention

Because we do not receive your documents, there is nothing to retain there. Account, usage, preset, Team, and support data are kept while needed to provide the service or respond to a request. Subscription records may be retained for a reasonable period after cancellation for billing, fraud-prevention, dispute, and legal-record purposes. You may request deletion of eligible account data through the contact channel below.

Security

We protect the data we do hold with encryption in transit, access controls, row-level database controls, server-only billing credentials, and signed billing webhooks. The strongest protection, however, is architectural: since your files are processed locally, the most sensitive data simply is not in our possession to be breached.

Your rights

Depending on where you live, you may have the right to access, correct, export, or delete the personal data we hold about you, and to object to or restrict certain processing. Since we do not hold your documents, these rights concern only your account and support data. To exercise any of them, email us and we will respond promptly.

Children's privacy

PDFDock is not directed to children under 13 (or the minimum age in your jurisdiction), and we do not knowingly collect personal information from them. If you believe a child has provided us with data, please contact us and we will remove it.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy as the service evolves or the law changes. When we make material changes, we will revise the date above and, where appropriate, notify account holders. Continued use of PDFDock after an update means you accept the revised policy.

Contact us

Questions about privacy, or want to exercise a data right? Email hello@pdfdock.net and we will be glad to help.