Is Zamzar safe?
FilePresto publishes this page and makes its own file tools, which work without uploading your file. The facts below come only from Zamzar'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 If anything is out of date or wrong, email [email protected] and we will correct it.
Zamzar uploads your file to servers in the United States. Its help pages say files converted with the free service are held for 24 hours; its privacy policy, for people without an account, says files are kept for no longer than 7 days.
Based on its own published information, Zamzar 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 policy names its file server suppliers in the United States: Amazon Web Services, MacStadium and IBM SoftLayer. Source: Privacy policy |
|---|---|
| How long is it kept? | Free service: the converted file is held for 24 hours (help pages). Paid accounts: stored until 35 days after the account closes (help pages). Privacy policy, in its part for people without an account: files submitted and their converted outputs are kept for no longer than 7 days after receipt. Source: Help pages · Privacy policy |
| Can you delete it sooner? | Paid accounts: yes, from the My Files area, at any time. Free service: its help pages say to submit a file removal form or contact its support team. Source: Help pages |
| Where is it processed? | The United States. Source: Privacy policy |
| Can its staff see it? | Its privacy policy says Zamzar employees need access to its production services for operational reasons, and that it uses multiple authentication mechanisms so that only authorised staff can access them. Source: Privacy policy |
| Security certification | None named on the pages we checked. |
| Encryption | Transfers are encrypted. The privacy policy describes an AES 256-bit SSL certificate; the help pages describe 128-bit SSL. Source: Privacy policy · Help pages |
| Who runs it? | Zamzar Limited, Steyning, West Sussex, England (company number 06463494). Source: Privacy policy |
Where its own pages differ
How long files are kept
The help pages say the free service holds a converted file for 24 hours. The privacy policy, in its part for people without an account, says files and their converted outputs are kept for no longer than 7 days after receipt. We have given both figures above.
Sources: Help pages · Privacy policy
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 Zamzar's servers for the time its pages give: 24 hours to 7 days, depending on which of its pages you read. 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 Zamzar for: Image converter, Word to PDF, MP4 to MP3, HEIC to JPG. 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 · Smallpdf · Convertio · PDF24. 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].