Privacy Policy
Format Convertly — https://formatconvertly.com
Effective date: 14 September 2026 · Last updated: 14 September 2026
The short version
Format Convertly converts your files inside your own web browser. Your file is never uploaded to us, never transmitted to a server, and never stored anywhere except in your device's temporary memory. We have no technical ability to read, copy, retain or recover your files — not because we promise not to, but because the architecture makes it impossible.
Everything else in this policy is deliberately small, because there is very little left to collect.
1. Who we are
Format Convertly ("Format Convertly", "we", "us", "our") operates the website at https://formatconvertly.com (the "Service").
| Operating name | Format Convertly |
| Region | United Arab Emirates |
| General enquiries | formatconvertly@gmail.com |
| Privacy & data requests | formatconvertly@gmail.com |
Formal company registration details (legal entity name, registered address, and company number) will be published on this page when the operating entity is formally registered. Until then, privacy requests go to formatconvertly@gmail.com.
Where this policy refers to "personal data" or "personal information", we mean information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person, as defined in Article 4(1) of the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the UK GDPR, and equivalent laws elsewhere.
2. Your files never leave your device
This is the single most important section of this policy, and it is the reason Format Convertly exists.
2.1 How conversion actually works. When you select a file, your browser reads it into memory on your own device using the File API. All conversion is performed locally, in your browser tab, by open-source libraries running on your device (including JavaScript and WebAssembly tools such as pdf.js and ffmpeg.wasm where a format needs them). When the conversion finishes, the result is generated in your browser's memory and handed to your operating system as a download.
2.2 What that means in practice.
- Your file is not uploaded to Format Convertly or to any third party.
- Your file is not transmitted over the network at any point during conversion.
- Your file is not written to any server, bucket, database or backup belonging to us.
- We cannot see, open, inspect, copy, log or recover your file, its filename, its contents or its metadata.
- Nothing about your file is recorded in any log.
2.3 No retention period, because there is no retention. Because we never receive your files, there is no server-side copy to delete, no 24-hour expiry window, and no deletion queue. Your file exists only in your browser's memory and is released when you close or refresh the tab. This is a stronger guarantee than a deletion promise: there is nothing for us to hold onto.
2.4 No human access. We do not employ staff to review, moderate or quality-check converted files, because we never receive them.
2.5 Files you convert are your responsibility. Because we cannot see your files, we cannot verify what they contain. You are responsible for ensuring you have the right to process each file you convert. See our Terms of Service.
2.6 One honest caveat. Format Convertly is a web application. Your browser does request the website's own code and assets from our web server in order to load the page — that is ordinary web traffic described in Section 3, and it does not include your files. Some converters also load open-source processing libraries or machine-learning models from public CDNs or model hosts (for example Tesseract.js language data from jsDelivr, or Whisper speech models from Hugging Face) into your browser so conversion can run locally; those third-party requests download library/model bytes only and still do not upload your files.
3. What we collect when you simply browse
Even without converting anything, standard web infrastructure records a small amount of technical data.
3.1 Server logs. When your browser requests a page, our hosting provider records the request in a standard access log. This may include:
- your IP address
- the date and time of the request
- the page requested
- your browser type and version ("User Agent")
- the referring page, if you arrived via a link
- the HTTP status code returned
Why: to deliver the website, to keep it secure, to detect and block abuse, and to produce aggregate statistics about which pages are requested. Legal basis: legitimate interest (GDPR Art. 6(1)(f)) in operating and securing the Service. Retention: typically up to 90 days, then deleted or anonymised by the hosting stack. Recipients: our website hosting provider, acting as a data processor (Section 8).
This data is not combined with conversion contents (we never receive those), and is not used to build an advertising profile of you.
3.2 Analytics. We do not currently run any analytics software. We do not set analytics cookies and we do not build behavioural profiles.
3.3 What we do NOT collect while you browse. We do not collect your name, email address, precise location, contacts, or the contents of any file.
3.4 Newsletter forms. Any newsletter signup UI on the site is presentational until a mailing provider is connected. We do not currently store newsletter email addresses from that form.
4. Accounts and paid plans (not yet live)
You do not need an account to convert files. Every converter and tool on Format Convertly works without signing in, and always will.
Sign-in and Pro plan UI may appear on the site as upcoming features. Authentication and payment are not live yet. We do not currently create accounts, store passwords, save conversion history on a server, or process card payments.
When accounts or paid plans launch, we will update this Privacy Policy before collecting any additional personal data, and we will describe exactly what is stored.
5. What we collect if you contact us
If you email formatconvertly@gmail.com or formatconvertly@gmail.com, we collect the information you choose to include: typically your name, email address, and the content of your message.
Why: to answer your question, resolve a bug, or handle a format request. Legal basis: our legitimate interest in responding to enquiries (Art. 6(1)(f)). Retention: up to 24 months after the conversation closes.
Please do not include files or personal data belonging to other people in support messages. If you need to describe a problem, describe the format and the settings — we never need the file itself.
6. What we never collect
To be explicit:
- The contents of your files. Not uploaded, not readable by us, not logged.
- Filenames or file metadata of files you convert.
- Special categories of personal data (health, biometric, religious, political or similar data) — we do not request it and do not knowingly collect it. If such data happens to be inside a file you convert, it remains on your device and we never see it.
- Precise geolocation. We do not request GPS data and do not determine your precise location.
- Cross-site tracking data. We do not build advertising profiles or sell personal data.
- Your contacts, camera or microphone. The Service requests none of these.
7. Cookies and local storage
Format Convertly sets no advertising cookies and no cross-site tracking cookies. The only thing we currently store in your browser is a functional theme preference (fc-theme).
Full details, including how to delete it, are in our [Cookie Policy](/cookies).
Every converter works correctly with cookies and local storage completely disabled.
8. Who we share data with
We do not sell, rent or trade personal data. We share the limited technical data described above only with processors needed to run the Service, each expected to process it only to provide hosting or email delivery.
| Processor | What it does | What it receives |
|---|---|---|
| Website hosting provider | Serves the website and TLS certificates | IP address, request logs |
| Email provider (when you email us) | Delivers and stores inbound mail | Whatever you put in your message |
No file-processing third parties. Unlike most online converters, we have no cloud conversion vendor, because no conversion happens in the cloud. There is no file-processing sub-processor to list.
Legal requirements. We may disclose personal data where legally compelled to do so by a valid court order or binding legal process, or where necessary to protect our rights or the safety of any person. We will notify you first where lawful to do so.
9. International transfers
Our website is served over the public internet. If you access the Service from another country, the limited server-log and support-email data described above may be processed in the country where our hosting or email provider operates.
Where personal data leaves the UK or EEA, we rely on an adequacy decision, the UK International Data Transfer Addendum, or Standard Contractual Clauses as appropriate once those contracts are in place with our providers. You may request details by emailing formatconvertly@gmail.com.
Note that your files are never transferred anywhere — they stay on your device.
10. Security
We protect the limited data we do hold using industry-standard measures, including encryption in transit (TLS) and access limited to authorised personnel.
For your files, the strongest security control is architectural: because your files never leave your device, there is no breach scenario in which your converted documents are exposed from our systems.
No method of transmission or storage is perfectly secure. While we work hard to protect your data, we cannot guarantee absolute security.
11. Your rights
Depending on where you live, you may have some or all of the following rights:
| Right | What it means | GDPR |
|---|---|---|
| Access | Get a copy of the personal data we hold about you | Art. 15 |
| Rectification | Correct inaccurate or incomplete data | Art. 16 |
| Erasure | Ask us to delete your data ("right to be forgotten") | Art. 17 |
| Restriction | Ask us to limit how we use your data | Art. 18 |
| Portability | Receive your data in a machine-readable format | Art. 20 |
| Objection | Object to processing based on legitimate interest, and to direct marketing | Art. 21 |
| Withdraw consent | Withdraw consent at any time, without affecting prior processing | Art. 7(3) |
| Complaint | Lodge a complaint with your supervisory authority | Art. 77 |
California residents (CCPA/CPRA) have the right to know, delete, correct, opt out of sale or sharing (we do neither), and limit use of sensitive personal information, and the right not to be discriminated against for exercising these rights.
How to exercise a right: email formatconvertly@gmail.com. We will verify your identity and respond within 30 days. There is no fee.
Because we do not receive your files, there is no file data for us to return, correct or delete.
Supervisory authority: if you are in the EU/EEA, you may complain to the authority in your country of residence. UK users may contact the Information Commissioner's Office at https://ico.org.uk.
12. Children
The Service is not directed at children under 16 and we do not knowingly collect personal data from them. If you believe a child has provided us with personal data, contact formatconvertly@gmail.com and we will delete it.
13. Third-party websites
The Service may link to other websites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of third-party sites. Please review their policies before submitting any information.
14. Changes to this policy
We may update this policy from time to time. When we do, we will revise the "Last updated" date at the top of this page. For significant changes we will give notice on the Service or by email where we hold an address. Your continued use of the Service after a change takes effect constitutes acceptance of the revised policy.
15. Contact us
Questions about this policy, or requests about your data:
- Privacy requests: formatconvertly@gmail.com
- General enquiries: formatconvertly@gmail.com
This policy describes how Format Convertly works today. It should still be reviewed by a qualified legal professional in your jurisdiction before relying on it as formal legal advice.