Is it safe to upload PDFs to an online converter?

Five questions to ask any PDF website

• How long is my file kept? Look for a specific time, not "a while".
• Can I delete it myself? A delete button you can press is better than a promise.
• Does anyone read or reuse the content? Some services analyse documents or use them to train AI.
• Who else gets it? Advertising and tracking networks on the page can learn which site you used, and when.
• Is the connection encrypted, and are download links guessable?

How Papermint answers them

• Kept for 2 hours, or 24 with an account. Your upload is removed as soon as processing finishes; the result is deleted automatically after 2 hours signed out, or 24 hours signed in.
• Delete now. Every result has a Delete now button, and My files has Delete all history.
• Not read, not shared. Documents are processed only to produce your result. The one exception is the AI tools (summarise, translate, chat), which send the document's text to an AI provider; they are clearly marked and need an account.
• No advertising or tracking networks on the site.
• Encrypted and unguessable. Files travel over TLS, and download links are signed so they cannot be guessed or forged.

The privacy policy and security page set this out in full, and the policy names every company that handles any data.

Extra care for sensitive documents

• Remove what the other person does not need before you share a file. Redact PDF deletes text for good, rather than covering it.
• Password-protect files you email. Protect PDF encrypts the file; send the password separately.
• Use a tool that never uploads at all when that is possible. Read Aloud runs entirely in your browser.
• Keep your original. Online tools work on a copy, but it is good practice not to rely on a result you have not checked.