File Safety
Your files are processed, not hosted.
FormatOS processes your file for the action you choose. No galleries, no public hosting, no file library, no selling of your uploaded files.
Browser-first
Most actions run locally
Temporary
Server files cleaned up
No galleries
No public file hosting
Your files
Not published or sold
Designed for
Everyday file work. Nothing risky.
FormatOS is built for practical, lawful file preparation. Only upload files you own or have clear permission to process.
What the workspace is built for:
On every upload
What we check before touching your file.
Every upload goes through a validation pass. Dangerous or unsupported files are rejected cleanly — not silently broken mid-process.
Extension check
Only recognized file extensions are accepted. Unknown or executable file types are rejected before any processing begins.
MIME type verification
The declared file type is cross-checked against what the file actually contains — not just what the filename claims.
Size limits enforced
Files that exceed current processing limits are flagged before upload completes, not after wasting your time waiting.
Dangerous types rejected
Executables, scripts, suspicious archives, and path traversal attempts are blocked and left unprocessed.
Where files go
Two paths. Both safe. Always honest.
Depending on the action you choose, your file is either processed entirely on your device or sent temporarily to a server. We tell you which — we never hide it.
In your browser
Most image, PDF, data, and document actions run entirely in your browser tab. The file never leaves your device for these operations.
Temporary server processing
Video, audio, and some PDF operations require a server-side engine. Files are used only to complete the selected action, and the server route is designed to clean up temporary working files after processing.
Hard limits
Things FormatOS doesn't do.
These are not corner-case limitations — they are deliberate decisions. FormatOS is not built for these workflows and never will be.
If you encounter anything on this site that appears to enable these workflows, please report it via the Contact page. That would be a bug, not a feature.
Honest note
Metadata removal isn't magic.
We reduce common hidden metadata — we don't guarantee perfect anonymization.
Metadata removal tools strip common fields like GPS location, camera model, author name, and document history. But metadata is complex — some fields may survive depending on the format, tool, or conversion path.
If you're handling sensitive files — legal documents, medical records, personal photos with location data — review the output carefully before sharing. And keep your originals until you're confident.
We'd rather be honest about this than claim something we can't fully deliver.
More detail
Related policies worth reading.
File Safety is the overview. These pages go deeper on specific areas.
Simple rule for safe use:
Only upload files you own or have permission to process.