Frequently Asked Questions
Is CoolPDF really free?
Yes. Every tool is completely free, with no usage limits, no watermarks, and no premium tier. Unobtrusive ads, if enabled, are what keep CoolPDF free for everyone.
Do I need to create an account or sign up?
No. CoolPDF never asks for an account, an email address, or any personal information. Open the site and start working — that is the entire onboarding process.
Are my files uploaded to your servers?
No. CoolPDF processes every file locally in your browser using WebAssembly. Your files never leave your device — there are no uploads at all, because there is no server that could receive them.
Can CoolPDF see, store, or access my documents?
No. There is no backend, so we have no technical ability to see, store, or access your files. You can verify this yourself: open your browser DevTools (F12) and watch the Network tab while using a tool — zero file uploads. Our code is also open source, so anyone can audit it.
Does CoolPDF work offline?
Yes. Once a page has loaded, every tool runs entirely on your device, so the tools keep working even if you disconnect from the internet. Full offline caching of the whole site via a service worker is on our roadmap.
Is it safe to process confidential documents with CoolPDF?
Yes. Because files are processed locally and never leave your device, CoolPDF is suitable for contracts, medical records, and financial statements. The entire codebase is open source under AGPL-3.0, so security researchers can audit exactly what happens to a file.
How does CoolPDF make money?
We may display ads served by Google AdSense. Advertising is our planned revenue source, and it is what allows every tool to stay free with no usage limits.
What browsers are supported?
CoolPDF works in current versions of Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and Safari. Any modern browser with WebAssembly support — which is effectively all of them — can run every tool.
Is CoolPDF open source?
Yes. CoolPDF is released under the GNU Affero General Public License v3.0 (AGPL-3.0). The full source code is available on GitHub, and contributions are welcome.
Which PDF tools does CoolPDF offer?
CoolPDF offers 18 tools covering merging, splitting, compression, rotation and page organization, JPG and image conversion, encryption and unlocking, watermarking, page numbering, Markdown conversion (PDF, Word, Excel), and image extraction. All of them run locally in your browser.
CoolPDF is a free, browser-based PDF toolkit. Unlike traditional online PDF tools, CoolPDF processes all files locally on the user’s device using WebAssembly — files are never uploaded to any server. The tools require no account, no email, and no sign-up, and are completely free with no usage limits. This makes CoolPDF suitable for confidential documents such as contracts, medical records, and financial statements.