Secure file conversion — nothing is uploaded, so nothing can leak
Every converter says it is "safe". Because moatool never sends your files to a server, you can check that claim yourself. This page explains how the processing works and how to verify it.
0 B uploaded — this page has not sent your files anywhere?
1. Your files never leave the browser
A typical online converter uploads your file to a server, converts it there, and sends the result back. Here the first step does not exist. Opening the page delivers the conversion features to your browser; picking a file opens that file inside the browser only. The finished file is built in the browser and saved straight to your device.
A typical converter site
- Uploads your file to a server
- The server converts it
- You download the result
- The copy left on the server is deleted later, they say
Until then, your file is on someone else’s computer.
moatool
- Opening the page brings the conversion features to your browser
- The browser converts the file
- You save the result
There is no upload step.
"Choose file" does not send anything anywhere. It grants this page permission to read that file from your device. What it read disappears the moment you close the tab.
2. Heavier features bring the program to your device
Heavier features such as PDF compression, text recognition, video conversion and archive extraction download their processing program (the engine) from this site the first time you use them. That traffic is the program coming down to your device, not your file going up. So the first use needs an internet connection, and the download shows up in the DevTools Network tab — but no upload the size of your file ever appears.
3. What is never stored
- Accounts — there is no sign-up, so there is no account to store.
- Email addresses — none are asked for in order to use the tools.
- Files — nothing to store, because no file ever reaches a server.
- Upload logs — no record of who converted what.
The site is funded by ads, and the ad and analytics scripts do make their own requests. We do not hide that — it is written next to the ? on the counter above. What never happens, under any circumstances, is the content of your files being sent anywhere. Full details are in the privacy policy.
4. Paying for Pro does not change this
Pro is a pass that removes the ads (every tool, including processing many files at once, is free). Paying issues one licence key, and the page asks the server a single question: is this key valid? The only thing that travels is that key. Files are still processed inside your browser and never sent to a server.
5. Three ways to verify it yourself
1. The DevTools Network tab
Press F12 (⌘⌥I on a Mac), open the Network tab, clear the list, then convert a file. If the file were uploaded, one request roughly the size of that file would appear. None does.
2. The upload counter on each tool
Most tool pages show a live measurement of how much that page has actually sent to a server (0 B uploaded). Convert a file and check that it stays at 0 B. Requests that ad scripts make on their own are not counted, and that is stated next to the ? beside the counter.
3. Read the page source
Right-click the page and choose View page source. Every line this site runs is there to read. You are welcome to look for somewhere your file could be sent.
6. What it is built on
The parts that do the converting inside your browser are built on published open-source software. Which projects, under which licences, with links to their source code, are listed in the open-source notices.
7. So — is it safe to upload this particular file?
"Is this online converter safe?" has no one-line answer. Server-side services are not automatically dangerous, and most of them state that files are deleted after processing. But the deciding question is always the same: does this file end up on someone else's computer, even briefly?
- Files where it does not matter — slide decks, public documents, a PDF you downloaded from the web. Either approach is fine in practice.
- Files where it does — scans of an ID, contracts, medical records, payslips, unreleased company material. Here the gap between "we promise to delete it" and "it never arrived" is the whole point.
- Files your employer's policy covers — sending internal documents to an outside service is often a policy breach in itself. A tool that does not upload never performs the action the policy forbids. There is more on that in when converter sites are blocked at work.
8. Go to the tool you actually came for
Reading about it does not get the job done, so here is where to go next. Every one of these works exactly the way this page describes — inside your browser.
Frequently asked questions
Are online PDF converters safe?
It depends on how they work. A service that uploads your file processes it on its own servers, where the file exists for as long as that takes, and usually states that it is deleted afterwards. There is no way for you to confirm that it was. A converter that runs inside the browser never receives the file at all, so there is nothing to delete — and you can confirm that yourself in the Network tab of your browser's developer tools. Which one you need depends on the file.
Is it safe to upload a scan of my ID or passport?
Better not to. Identity documents cannot be un-leaked, and whoever asked for it usually needs part of it rather than a full copy. moatool's redaction tool blacks out the parts you choose without the file leaving your device. What has to be hidden is decided by whoever is asking for the document, so nothing is hidden automatically — you pick.
Converter sites are blocked on my office network. What can I do?
The block usually exists to stop internal documents leaving the corporate network. A tool that performs no upload does not do the thing the policy is aimed at — but blocks are applied by domain, so this site may be blocked along with the rest. If you need something concrete to show your IT team, see converter sites blocked at work.
How long do you keep my converted files?
They are never kept, because they never arrive. Files are opened inside the browser tab and are gone when you close it.
If it is free, how is it paid for? Are you selling my files?
It is paid for by ads. There are no files to sell, because none reach a server. The ad and analytics scripts do make their own requests, which is stated next to the ? on the counter above. There is a paid pass (Pro) that only removes ads — every feature, including processing several files at once, is free — and with Pro, files still never leave the browser.
Does it work with no internet connection?
Yes. Load the page, disconnect, and convert. Heavier features need a connection the first time they are downloaded and not afterwards. A server-side service cannot do this, which makes it a useful test on its own.