Offline PDF tools, and how to check that your file stays put

Your browser keeps a record of every request a page makes. That record is the real evidence, and it does not depend on anything this site says about itself. Here is how to read it.

1. 1

   Open the network panel

   Press F12 (or Ctrl+Shift+I, or Cmd+Option+I on a Mac) and choose the Network tab. Clear the list so you start from empty.

2. 2

   Run a tool on a PDF

   Open any tool, for example Remove PDF Metadata, choose a file and run it.

3. 3

   Read the list

   Look for requests that send data: a method of POST or PUT, and a size under Request or Transferred close to your file's size. A tool that runs on your device makes none. You will see the page's own files and fonts being read, and possibly analytics requests, which carry no document.

4. 4

   Turn the network off

   In the same panel, set throttling to Offline (or switch off Wi-Fi), then run the tool again. If it still produces your file, it cannot have needed to send it anywhere.

The same check works for every tool on the site, because they all run the same way.

This runs Remove PDF Metadata on a PDF of your choice, or on a sample, and lists every request this page makes while it works, with the size of what each one sent. Your file is read by the page and never handed to a network call.

What this can and cannot see: it watches requests made by this page and its scripts. It does not see the browser's own traffic, so the network panel above remains the complete view.

Because the work happens on your device, the tools only need the site's own code. Save it once while you are online and every tool opens and runs without a connection.

• What is saved: the tool pages and the code that runs them, in this browser's own storage. Never a document.
• Optional extras: fonts for the editing tools, and the text recognition engine used by Make PDF Searchable. They are large, so they are a choice.
• Removing it: the button above clears everything saved; so does clearing this site's data in your browser settings.
• Updates: while you are online, a page is fetched fresh each time and the saved copy is refreshed. Offline, the last saved copy is used.

Browsers that support it, such as Chrome and Edge, offer to install IwillPDF from the address bar or the browser menu. The installed copy opens in its own window, with no tabs around it, and uses the same saved files as above. Nothing else about the site changes.

• It shows that a tool runs on your device: it finishes with the network switched off.
• It does not cover other sites or extensions running in your browser, or what you do with the result afterwards.
• Pages on this site load analytics and advertising scripts, described in the privacy policy. They make their own requests; none of them is given a document.
• The saved copy is only as current as the last time you saved it while online.

Do the PDF tools work without an internet connection?

Yes, once the site's code is saved in your browser. Use the save button on this page while you are online, then open any tool with no connection. Every tool can work that way; text recognition and the editors' extra fonts need their optional downloads saved too.

How can I tell that my PDF is not uploaded?

Open your browser's network panel, run a tool, and look for any request that sends data the size of your file. Then switch to offline mode and run the tool again. If it still works, it did not need to send anything. The steps are above, and the live check on this page does the first half for you.

What does saving for offline use store?

The tool pages and the code that runs them, in your browser's cache. No document is ever saved there; a file is only in memory while a tool works on it. Removing the saved copy clears it.

Does the live check prove nothing is uploaded?

It shows what this page requested while the tool ran, and whether any request was large enough to hold your file. It cannot see the browser's own traffic, so the network panel is the complete check.

Can I install IwillPDF on my computer or phone?

Yes, in browsers that support installing web apps, such as Chrome and Edge. Choose install from the address bar or menu and IwillPDF opens in its own window.