ClearPDF local tools use browser-side JavaScript and Web Workers for Phase 1 PDF operations such as merge, split, rotate, reorder, image conversion, metadata removal, flattening, signing, annotation, and basic compression.

The privacy claim depends on the processing mode. A local tool should read the selected file from browser memory, transform it on the device, and create a download without sending the PDF as a request payload to ClearPDF.

Cloud, AI, OCR, API, repair, Office conversion, and advanced compression workflows need separate disclosure because those workflows can require uploads, extracted text, model providers, or server workers.

Key details

Local engine scope

Phase 1 local tools are designed for page operations, simple edits, signing, form filling, conversion to images, image-to-PDF, metadata removal, flattening, and browser-friendly compression.

Known limits

Very large PDFs, malformed files, encrypted documents, scanned pages, Office conversion, OCR, true redaction, and advanced compression may exceed what a browser can do reliably.

Proof standard

A transparency page should make the claim testable: users can inspect network requests and confirm local workflows do not upload document payloads.

Practical checklist

Check the processing badge before choosing a tool.
Open browser developer tools and watch the Network tab while the local tool runs.
Confirm no request contains the PDF bytes or extracted document text.
Keep the original file until you have reviewed the downloaded output.