Cookies & GDPR
This site sets no cookies at all by default. It stores exactly one value in your browser — your consent choice, in localStorage — and optional Google Analytics cookies can only ever appear if you click “Accept analytics” and the site is hosted with a real analytics ID configured, which the current build is not. Everything on this page can be verified in the site's public JavaScript, js/main.js.
Everything this site can store, in one table
| Name | Type | Purpose | Category | Expiry | When it is set |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
pdftoolbox-consent |
localStorage entry (not a cookie) | Remembers whether you accepted or declined analytics, so the banner does not reappear on every page. Value is simply accepted or declined. |
Essential | No expiry — stays until you clear it or click “Change cookie choice” | When you answer the consent banner |
_ga and related Google Analytics cookies |
Cookies (set by Google Analytics 4) | Distinguish visitors so we can see aggregate usage statistics. IP addresses are anonymized in our configuration. | Optional analytics | Set by Google; _ga typically persists up to 2 years |
Only if you clicked “Accept analytics”, and the site is hosted (never from a local file:// copy), and a real GA4 measurement ID has been configured. In the current build the ID is a placeholder, so these cookies are never set. |
That is the complete list. There are no session cookies, no ad cookies, no fingerprinting, and no third-party storage of any other kind. The advertising slots and affiliate links visible on some pages are inactive placeholders and set no cookies.
What the consent banner does
On your first visit, a banner offers two equal choices: Accept analytics or Decline. Declining (or ignoring the banner) is never punished — every tool works identically either way. Your answer is saved as the pdftoolbox-consent entry described above so you are not asked again on every page. Only an explicit “Accept” can trigger the analytics loader; until then, no analytics script is even downloaded. This is consent-before-loading, as the GDPR and the ePrivacy rules require — not the “we already set cookies, here is a banner” pattern.
Change your choice
You can change your mind at any time: re-open the consent banner and pick again. The same link appears as “Change cookie choice” in the footer of every page. Resetting deletes the stored choice immediately; if you previously accepted and want existing Google Analytics cookies gone too, also clear this site's cookies in your browser settings (the site itself cannot delete cookies that belong to Google's domain configuration).
Your files are not part of any of this
Worth restating because it is the point of the site: the storage described above concerns only your consent choice and, optionally, anonymous usage statistics. The documents you process with the live tools are read and transformed entirely inside your browser and are never transmitted, logged, or associated with any cookie or identifier. See the Privacy Policy for the full picture.
GDPR in brief
Under the GDPR, storage that is strictly necessary for a service you requested (here: remembering your consent answer) does not require consent, while optional analytics does — which is exactly how this site behaves. Your consent is freely given, specific, informed, and as easy to withdraw as to give. For your data-subject rights (access, erasure, objection, and the rest) and how to exercise them, see sections 6 and 9 of the Privacy Policy, or just write to hello@pdf-toolbox.example.