Frequently asked questions
Accounts, privacy, browser vs server tools, signatures, compression and limits — answered clearly.
Do I need an account to use PDFjojo?
No. Free tools work without registration. An optional account may raise daily limits later, but basic compress, merge, edit, convert and sign tools do not require signup.
Are my files deleted after processing?
Yes. Temporary uploads and results are deleted automatically. Default retention is about two hours for successful jobs and shorter for failed ones. Browser-only tools keep files on your device.
Which tools run in my browser vs on the server?
Edit PDF, Sign PDF, Split, Rotate, many page tools and image-to-PDF conversions run in your browser. OCR, password protect/unlock, Office conversions and some compression paths need server programs such as Tesseract, qpdf, Ghostscript or LibreOffice.
Why did a server tool say it is not available?
That tool needs extra software on the host (for example LibreOffice for Word conversion, qpdf for passwords, or OCRmyPDF for scans). Open System requirements to see what is installed, or use a browser fallback when the page offers one.
Is a drawn signature a legal digital signature?
A visual signature (draw, type or upload) is not the same as a cryptographic digital signature with certificates. Whether it is accepted depends on your jurisdiction and the document. PDFjojo Sign PDF creates a visual signature only.
What file size and page limits apply?
Limits are shown on Pricing and on each uploader. Anonymous users have a daily job cap and a maximum upload size to keep the service stable for everyone.
Can I compress a PDF to 1 MB?
Often yes with Maximum compression, but image-heavy scans may stay larger. Use Compress PDF and compare the new size — there is also a Compress PDF to 1 MB guide.
How do I convert a scanned PDF to Word?
Run OCR PDF first so the scan has searchable text, then use PDF to Word. Without OCR, conversion can only capture existing text layers.
Is PDFjojo free for commercial use?
Basic free tools may be used for personal and business documents you have the right to process. Do not upload malware or content you are not authorized to handle. See Terms of use.
Do you store the contents of my PDFs?
We do not build profiles from document contents. Server jobs store files only long enough to process them. Usage logs keep tool names and short-lived rate-limit identifiers, not your PDF text.