Legal & Privacy
Privacy Policy
This Privacy Policy explains how FormatOS collects, uses, handles, and protects information when you use our file conversion tools and visit our website. Please read it carefully before uploading files or using the service.
Last updated: May 9, 2026
Quick summary
Privacy at a glance
This summary is provided for convenience. The full policy sections below are the authoritative version.
- Uploaded files may be temporarily processed to complete the requested conversion. We do not claim ownership of your files.
- Basic analytics and usage data may be collected to understand how the service is used and to improve it over time.
- Cookies may be used for preferences, analytics, and, if ads are shown, for advertising purposes.
- If advertising is displayed, third-party advertising partners may use cookies or similar technologies to serve and measure ads.
- We do not intentionally sell your uploaded files or personal documents to third parties.
- You can contact us through the Contact page for any privacy-related questions.
Navigation
Contents
- 01Information We Collect
- 02How Uploaded Files Are Handled
- 03How We Use Information
- 04Cookies and Tracking Technologies
- 05Advertising
- 06Third-Party Services
- 07Data Retention and Security
- 08User Responsibilities
- 09Children's Privacy
- 10International Users and Data Transfers
- 11Your Privacy Rights
- 12Links to External Websites
- 13Changes to This Policy
- 14Contact Us
Section 01
Information We Collect
FormatOS may collect several categories of information depending on how you use the service.
A. Information you provide directly
When you contact us through the Contact page, you may provide your name, email address, and a message. This information is used only to respond to your inquiry and to maintain communication records. We do not require account creation to use the conversion tools.
B. Files and conversion data
When you upload a file for conversion, FormatOS processes information including the source file, its format, the requested output format, conversion status, and any error or technical processing information necessary to complete the conversion. Some conversions run entirely in your browser without any file data reaching our servers; others may require temporary server-side processing.
File metadata — such as file name, size, and format — may be briefly logged for security, debugging, and abuse prevention purposes.
C. Automatically collected information
When you visit FormatOS, standard technical data may be collected automatically. This may include your IP address, browser type and version, operating system, device type, referring page, pages visited on the site, approximate geographic location based on IP, date and time of access, and general usage patterns.
This information helps us understand how the service is being used, detect abuse, improve performance, and troubleshoot technical issues. It is not used to build individual user profiles.
D. Cookies and similar technologies
FormatOS may use cookies, local storage, or similar browser technologies. These may include preference storage (such as your selected theme), analytics cookies, performance cookies, and, if advertising is displayed, advertising cookies set by third-party partners. See Section 04 for full details.
Section 02
How Uploaded Files Are Handled
File handling is one of the most important aspects of using any online conversion platform. We aim to be transparent about what happens to your files.
Purpose of use: Files uploaded to FormatOS are used only to complete the conversion you requested. They are not used for any other purpose, such as training models, profiling, or advertising targeting.
Browser-based conversion: Some conversions run entirely in your browser using browser APIs. In these cases, your file never leaves your device, and no upload to our servers occurs. Browser-generated download links are temporary and exist only within your browser session.
Server-side processing: Certain conversions require server-side processing through installed conversion engines. When this occurs, your file is temporarily transmitted to and stored on our server during processing. Once the conversion is complete and the output is returned, we aim to remove temporary files within a reasonable period, subject to technical, security, and operational requirements.
Ownership: FormatOS does not claim ownership of files you upload. You remain responsible for any file you submit, including ensuring you have the right to process it.
Sensitive files: You should avoid uploading highly sensitive, confidential, or private files unless you understand how the specific conversion is processed. Review the File Privacy / Upload Policy for details on each conversion type.
File rejection: FormatOS may reject, block, or flag files that appear to be malicious, corrupted, abusive, oversized, or outside supported parameters. This is done to protect the reliability and security of the service.
Prohibited use: You must not use FormatOS to process illegal, copyrighted, harmful, or unauthorized content, or to circumvent digital rights management, access controls, or third-party platform restrictions.
For a complete, technical breakdown of which conversions run in the browser versus on the server, see the File Privacy / Upload Policy.
Section 03
How We Use Information
Information collected through the use of FormatOS may be used for the following purposes:
- Providing and operating the file conversion service
- Processing your file upload, running the conversion, and delivering the output
- Maintaining, improving, and troubleshooting the website and conversion tools
- Detecting and fixing bugs, errors, or failed conversions
- Responding to messages, support requests, or correction inquiries submitted through the Contact page
- Preventing fraud, spam, abuse, copyright violations, malware distribution, or misuse of the platform
- Understanding how users interact with the site to improve the product
- Monitoring platform performance, uptime, and reliability
- Complying with applicable laws, regulations, or legal obligations
- Displaying advertising if ads are enabled, using data in accordance with applicable ad policies and user preferences
Legal basis for processing
By using FormatOS, you agree to the practices described in this Privacy Policy. Some processing is necessary to provide the conversion service you request. Other processing, such as analytics or advertising-related data use, may be based on legitimate interest, user consent where required, or legal compliance obligations. You may manage your cookie preferences through your browser settings at any time.
Section 05
Advertising
FormatOS may display advertising to support the availability of the free file conversion service. Advertising is intended to be relevant, non-intrusive, and positioned away from core conversion actions.
Third-party advertising: FormatOS may use third-party advertising partners to display advertisements. These partners may use cookies or similar technologies to serve ads based on browsing behavior and interests. They may collect data such as your IP address, device identifiers, browsing activity, and interactions with ads to deliver and measure advertising.
What advertising means for your data: If ads are displayed, advertising partners may use cookies and similar technologies to serve ads and measure their performance. This may be considered a form of data sharing under certain privacy laws. Displaying ads does not mean FormatOS sells your uploaded files, documents, or personal information to advertisers.
Ad placement: Ads on FormatOS must not interfere with file uploads, conversion results, or download buttons. Ads may not mimic interface controls or appear inside conversion action areas.
Managing ad personalization: You can manage Google ad personalization through Google's Ads Settings. You can also opt out of interest-based advertising from other participating companies through the Digital Advertising Alliance or Network Advertising Initiative opt-out pages. Note that opting out does not eliminate ads — it may limit personalization of the ads shown.
Third-party ad policies: Third-party advertising partners operate under their own privacy policies. FormatOS does not control how advertising partners collect, use, or share data related to ad delivery and measurement.
Section 06
Third-Party Services
FormatOS may use third-party services to operate, maintain, and improve the platform. These services may process limited data as necessary to fulfill their function.
Third-party services used by FormatOS may include:
- Web hosting and infrastructure providers — to serve the website and process conversions
- Analytics providers — to understand usage patterns and improve the product
- Security and performance services — to protect against threats, detect abuse, and maintain uptime
- File conversion engines — local or server-based tools used to process conversion requests
- Advertising networks — to display ads if enabled
- Contact and communication tools — to receive and manage user messages
Each third-party service operates under its own terms and privacy policy. FormatOS is not responsible for the data practices of third-party services or websites linked from FormatOS. Where possible, we select providers that maintain reasonable data handling practices.
Section 07
Data Retention and Security
Data retention
FormatOS aims to retain data only as long as necessary for the purposes described in this policy.
- Temporary uploaded files used for server-side conversion should be removed after the conversion response, within a reasonable operational window, subject to technical and security requirements.
- Contact messages and support inquiries may be retained as long as needed to respond and maintain records.
- Server and access logs may be retained for a period necessary for security monitoring, abuse detection, debugging, and legal compliance.
- Analytics data retention is governed by the settings of the analytics provider in use.
- Data that is no longer needed for any active purpose is deleted or anonymized where technically feasible.
Data security
FormatOS applies reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect data from unauthorized access, disclosure, or misuse. These measures may include secure server environments, access controls, automated file cleanup, and security monitoring.
However, no internet-based service can guarantee complete security. You should exercise care with the files you upload and avoid submitting highly sensitive, confidential, or personal documents unless you understand the processing method for your selected conversion.
FormatOS may use automated security checks to detect malware, abusive content, suspicious file activity, or misuse of the platform. You are also responsible for keeping your own devices, browsers, and accounts secure.
Section 08
User Responsibilities
By using FormatOS, you accept responsibility for the files and information you provide. Specifically, you agree that:
- You will only upload files that you own, have the legal right to use, or are otherwise authorized to process.
- You will not upload copyrighted files without the rights holder's permission.
- You will not use FormatOS to convert, extract, or process content from platforms in violation of those platforms' terms of service.
- You will not upload malware, harmful code, offensive material, or files designed to damage or disrupt systems.
- You will not use the service to circumvent digital rights management, access controls, or copyright protections.
- You will review and verify converted output before using it for legal, financial, academic, medical, or official purposes.
- You will comply with applicable laws in your jurisdiction regarding file processing, copyright, and data handling.
Section 09
Children's Privacy
FormatOS is a general-purpose file conversion platform and is not directed at children under the age of 13, or the relevant minimum age in the user's jurisdiction where a higher threshold applies.
We do not knowingly collect or solicit personal information from children. If you are a parent or guardian and believe that a child under the applicable minimum age has provided personal information to FormatOS, please contact us through the Contact page and we will take appropriate steps to review and remove the information.
Section 10
International Users and Data Transfers
FormatOS is accessible to users in multiple countries, including users in the United States, United Kingdom, European Union, Canada, Australia, India, and other regions. By using the service, you understand that your data — including information collected automatically, contact form submissions, or files processed server-side — may be transmitted to, processed in, or stored in countries where our hosting, analytics, advertising, or infrastructure providers operate.
Data protection standards vary between countries. We aim to apply reasonable safeguards regardless of where data is processed. Users in the European Economic Area, United Kingdom, and other regions with comprehensive data protection laws may have additional rights described in Section 11 below.
By using FormatOS, you acknowledge that your information may be processed in locations outside your country of residence, and that data protection laws in those countries may differ from your own.
Section 11
Your Privacy Rights
Depending on your location and applicable privacy laws, you may have certain rights regarding your personal information. These may include:
- The right to request access to personal information we hold about you
- The right to request correction of inaccurate or incomplete personal information
- The right to request deletion of personal information, where technically feasible and not subject to legitimate retention obligations
- The right to object to or restrict certain types of processing
- The right to withdraw consent where processing is based on consent
- The right to manage cookie preferences through your browser settings
- The right to lodge a complaint with a relevant data protection authority in your jurisdiction
To exercise a privacy right, please contact us through the Contact page. We will respond to reasonable requests within a reasonable timeframe.
Do not sell personal information
FormatOS does not intentionally sell users' uploaded files, personal documents, or personal information to third parties. Some analytics and advertising-related data activities — where personal identifiers are shared with or accessible to advertising or analytics providers — may be considered a form of "sharing" under certain privacy laws such as the California Consumer Privacy Act. Users may manage their cookie and advertising preferences as described in Section 04 to limit such sharing where technically possible.
Section 12
Links to External Websites
FormatOS may contain links to external websites, tools, resources, or services that are not operated by FormatOS. These links are provided for reference and convenience only.
FormatOS is not responsible for the content, privacy practices, security, or data handling of any external website. When you leave FormatOS and visit a third-party website, you are subject to that website's own terms and privacy policy. We encourage you to review the privacy practices of any external site before providing personal information or uploading files to it.
Section 13
Changes to This Privacy Policy
FormatOS may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in the service, legal obligations, data handling practices, or applicable privacy standards. When changes are made, the "Last updated" date at the top of this page will be revised.
Your continued use of FormatOS after a revised policy is posted constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy. If the changes are significant, we will aim to make them visible on the site. We encourage you to review this page periodically, especially if you regularly use the conversion tools or submit files for processing.
The most current version of the Privacy Policy will always be available at formatos.io/privacy.
Privacy questions
Have a question about this policy?
If you have a question, concern, or request related to your privacy, the handling of your files, or the data practices described in this policy, you can reach us through our Contact page. Select "Privacy Question" as the reason for contact.
FormatOS is built to provide useful file conversion tools while respecting user privacy, transparency, and responsible data handling.