FAQ
Still have questions?
Open a question below to see the answer. If you can’t find it, the matching tool’s help text usually has a hint too.
Are my files uploaded to the cloud?⌄
No. All processing happens locally in your browser; files are never sent to any server and are released from memory when you close the tab. That is also why very large files are limited by your computer’s memory.
Do I need to install or sign up?⌄
No. The online version runs right in your browser; the offline version works locally after you unzip and double-click “Start PDFusion.bat” — no install, no signup.
Is there any cost or usage limit?⌄
PDFusion is completely free. All 22 tools are open to use — no Pro, no subscription, no usage limit and no watermarks. Start with no install and no signup.
Will you start charging or switch to uploading files later?⌄
All PDF processing always happens locally in your browser. “Files are never uploaded” is a core promise that will not change, and the tools stay free.
Will Chinese text turn into garbled characters or boxes?⌄
No. Text, page numbers, watermarks, OCR and forms all support Chinese. The first time you output Chinese, a Chinese font (~5.7MB) loads once and is reused afterward.
Why is OCR slower the first time?⌄
The first recognition downloads the recognition model (language models are large). After that it is cached and noticeably faster. More pages and higher resolution naturally take longer — that is normal.
Can permanently redacted content be recovered?⌄
No, and that is the point. Pages with redaction boxes are rasterized (turned into images) with the black boxes burned in; the underlying text layer is fully removed, so the output cannot be copied, searched or restored. Keep a backup of the original.
Which browsers are supported?⌄
We recommend the latest Chrome, Edge, Firefox or Safari, which all support the required Canvas, Web Worker and File APIs.
An encrypted PDF will not open — what should I do?⌄
Go to the “Password protection” tool first, remove the encryption with the correct password, then edit or convert. Without the password it cannot be unlocked — that is by design in PDF encryption.
Will the exported Word / Excel layout break?⌄
PDF-to-Office uses heuristic reconstruction; documents with clean grids and clear structure work best, while complex layouts may need touch-ups. If the source is a scan (no text layer), run OCR first to create a text layer, then convert.
Does the offline version need internet? Why launch with a .bat?⌄
The offline version needs no internet at all — every library and language model is bundled. The small local server started by the .bat is needed because browsers block background workers and font files under file://; opening via local localhost makes it work, and that server is not exposed externally.
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