Is Smallpdf safe?
FilePresto publishes this page and makes its own file tools, which work without uploading your file. The facts below come only from Smallpdf's own published pages, linked beside each fact, as they read on 28th September 2026. We have tried to be fair. If anything is out of date or wrong, email [email protected] and we will correct it.
Smallpdf processes your file on its servers. Its pages describe how long files are kept in different ways: its privacy notice says files are deleted within one hour for account holders unless saved, and within a reasonable period for others; a blog article says files are removed after one hour.
Based on its own published information, Smallpdf describes a service that processes files on its servers and deletes them after a stated time. Its own pages do not describe every point in exactly the same way; both versions are shown below. For routine files, some people may be comfortable with that. For confidential, personal, client or staff documents, a tool that does not upload the file at all is the lower-exposure option, because the file stays on your device.
What happens to your file
| Is your file uploaded? | Yes. Its privacy notice says it uses Hetzner to process files uploaded by the user, on servers in the European Union, and that this does not involve permanent storage. Source: Privacy notice |
|---|---|
| How long is it kept? | Privacy notice (last updated 29th July 2025): with an account, deleted within one hour unless you save them; saved files you delete are generally deleted within 14 days; without an account, it generally aims to delete files within a reasonable period after they were last opened. Source: Privacy notice |
| Can you delete it sooner? | Saved files can be deleted by you; the privacy notice says they are then generally deleted within 14 days. Source: Privacy notice |
| Where is it processed? | The European Union, on servers managed by Hetzner. Source: Privacy notice |
| Can its staff see it? | Its trust centre says your data is only accessed in limited ways, such as responding to support requests or addressing technical issues. A blog article separately says employees cannot access your documents. Source: Trust centre · Blog article |
| Used to train AI? | Its privacy notice says files used with its AI products are not used to train models. It does not make the same statement about files used with its other tools. Source: Privacy notice |
| Security certification | ISO 27001, with annual audits, according to its trust centre, which also states GDPR, CCPA and nFADP compliance. Source: Trust centre |
| Who runs it? | Smallpdf AG, based in Zürich, Switzerland. Source: Privacy notice |
Where its own pages differ
How long files are kept
A Smallpdf blog article (modified 14th July 2026) says files are permanently removed from its servers after one hour of processing. The privacy notice (last updated 29th July 2025) gives one hour for account holders who do not save their files, and a reasonable period for people without an account.
Sources: Blog article · Privacy notice
Who can access files
The blog article says employees cannot access your documents. The trust centre says your data is only accessed in limited ways, such as support requests or technical issues. These statements are not expressed in the same way on Smallpdf's own pages. If this point matters to you, it is worth asking Smallpdf directly how they fit together.
Sources: Blog article · Trust centre
What this means in practice
For an everyday file, such as a school worksheet, a menu or a holiday photo, the main question is simply whether you are comfortable with a copy sitting on Smallpdf's servers for the time its pages give: one hour in some cases, and a reasonable period in others, depending on the page and whether you have an account. For a passport scan, a signed contract, a payslip, a medical letter or anything about another person, that copy matters more. If you are handling other people's personal information at work, your employer may need to know which companies receive it and where.
If you would rather not upload the file at all
- FilePresto (ours) runs in your web browser and never uploads the file; the page locks itself so it cannot send anything. For the jobs people most often use Smallpdf for: Compress PDF, Merge PDF, PDF to Word, Sign PDF. Free for up to 5 files at a time.
- PDF24 Creator is a free program you install on your computer; PDF24 says it works offline, so files stay on your computer (PDF24 help page).
- Stirling PDF is an open-core PDF platform that an organisation can run on its own servers, or use as a desktop app (project page). It suits IT teams that want PDF tools inside their own network.
Other converters
We have written the same kind of guide for other popular services: CloudConvert · iLovePDF · FreeConvert · Convertio · PDF24 · Zamzar. Or read the overview: are online file converters safe?
About this page
How we wrote it: every fact in the tables comes from the company's own website, and each is linked so you can read it yourself. We do not use forum posts, reviews or reports from elsewhere. Where a company's own pages describe the same thing differently, we show both. Pages checked on 28th September 2026; we aim to check them again every three months. Companies change their policies, so if a decision matters, read the linked page itself. Corrections: [email protected].