Frequently Asked Questions
Answers to the most common questions about PDF Vault: how offline processing works, merging, splitting, signing, OCR, Pro pricing, and privacy.
PDF Vault runs every tool inside your browser, so your documents are never uploaded. These are the questions we are asked most often about how that works, what the tools can do, and how the free and Pro plans differ.
Are my PDFs really private and secure?
Yes. Every tool in PDF Vault runs entirely in your browser using WebAssembly. Your files are opened as in-memory buffers, processed locally, and never transmitted to any server. There is no upload endpoint — you can verify this in your browser's DevTools Network tab.
Do I need to create an account?
No account is required for the Free plan or for basic tools. You only sign up when you upgrade to PDF Vault Pro so we can associate your license with an email for support and cross-device sync.
How do I merge two PDF files?
Open the Merge PDFs tool from the sidebar, drop or select the files you want combined, drag them into the order you prefer, and click Download. The merged PDF is generated locally and downloaded straight to your device.
How do I split a large PDF into separate pages?
Open Split & Extract, load the PDF, choose either 'every page becomes a file' or a custom page range (e.g. 1-3,7,9), then export. Each output PDF is created client-side.
How do I compress a PDF to reduce its file size?
Use the Compress tool — it re-encodes images, downsamples them to the chosen DPI, and rewrites object streams. Typical savings are 40-70% on scan-heavy documents. Everything happens in your browser.
Can I sign a PDF with my own signature?
Yes. Open Sign Document, draw or upload your signature, drag it onto the page, and download. Signatures are stored only on your device (localStorage) so no cloud service ever sees them.
Can I convert a PDF to Word (.docx) offline?
Yes. The PDF to Word tool ships a client-side layout engine that extracts text, tables, and simple formatting into a DOCX file that opens in Microsoft Word, Google Docs, or LibreOffice — no upload required.
Does OCR work on scanned PDFs and images?
Yes. Our OCR tool runs a Tesseract-based recognizer locally. It supports 40+ languages and produces a searchable text layer that you can copy, export as .txt, or embed back into the PDF.
How do I add a password to a PDF?
Open Protect PDF, load the file, enter a password, and download. The output uses standard PDF encryption so it opens in Adobe Acrobat, Preview, and any modern viewer.
How do I remove a password from a PDF I own?
Use Unlock PDF and provide the current password. Removing protection from files you do not own is not permitted by our terms.
Does PDF Vault work offline?
Yes — once the page has loaded once, the whole app is cached as a Progressive Web App. You can install it from your browser's address bar and use every tool without an internet connection.
Is PDF Vault free?
The Free plan gives you 3 operations per day forever with the core tools. PDF Vault Pro is from $10/month billed yearly, or $15 month-to-month, and removes all limits, unlocks advanced tools, and gives you signature templates and Bates numbering.
How does PDF Vault compare to Smallpdf, iLovePDF, or Adobe Acrobat online?
Those services upload your file to a remote server. PDF Vault processes everything locally in your browser, so sensitive documents never leave your device. That also makes it faster on modern machines because you skip the network round-trip.
Which file size can PDF Vault handle?
Practically any size your browser can hold in memory — most modern laptops handle PDFs up to a few hundred MB comfortably. There is no server-side limit because there is no server.
Can I use PDF Vault for legal work (Bates stamping, redaction)?
Yes. Pro includes Bates stamping with configurable prefixes, page ranges, and starting numbers, plus the Sanitize tool to strip metadata before disclosure.
How do I cancel my Pro subscription?
Open the customer portal from the checkout success email, or contact support@getpdfvault.com. Cancellation stops future renewals; your Pro access remains until the end of the current billing period.
Still stuck? Contact support or read the privacy and workflow guides.