How Toolalcove works
Most tools run inside your browser. This page explains what that means, where the exceptions are, and how to check the network traffic yourself.
The short version
When you add a file to a PDF, image, OCR, or text tool, the browser reads it from your device into memory. The processing code, which is already loaded in the page, changes that data and produces a new file for you to download. The original file is not sent to a Toolalcove server, and there is no server-side copy afterward.
What client-side processing means
Browsers can read local files through the File API, draw and transform images on an HTML5 Canvas, run compiled code with WebAssembly, and move heavy work off the main thread with Web Workers. Toolalcove uses those browser features for the file tools. PDF libraries assemble documents in memory, canvas operations resize or re-encode images, and the OCR engine runs as a WebAssembly worker.
This is different from the usual upload flow, where a file is sent to a server, placed in a queue, processed by a remote machine, and offered back as a download. That flow can be convenient, but it creates a copy of your file on someone else's disk. Browser processing avoids that copy for the tools listed as local.
Verify it yourself in DevTools
You do not have to take our word for it. The Network panel in your browser shows every request a page makes.
- Open a file tool, such as Merge PDF or Image Compressor.
- Press F12 (or right-click and choose Inspect), then open the Network tab. Keep it open.
- Add your file and run the tool. Watch the request list as the result is produced.
- Look for a request that contains your file or its contents. For these tools you should see the page's own scripts, fonts, and images, but no upload of your document. If you sort by size, your file should not appear as a request body.
You can compare this with a site that uploads files: there, a request appears as soon as you select a file, often before you press any button. Here, selecting a file does not create a network request.
The exceptions, stated plainly
AI Grammar Checker. This tool needs a language model, so it cannot run entirely in the browser. When the AI service is available, the text you submit is sent over HTTPS to our server and then to an AI provider for processing. The page shows a notice and links to the Privacy Policy before you run a check. If the service cannot be reached, a built-in rules engine handles the request in your browser instead, and the page tells you when that happened.
Internet Speed Test. Measuring a connection requires sending and receiving real data. The test contacts Cloudflare's public test endpoints, so test data travels over the network and the test can use 50–150 MB on a fast connection. It does not inspect your files or your browsing history.
Hosting. Loading any page sends a request to Cloudflare, which hosts the site. Cloudflare processes standard technical information such as your IP address and user agent to deliver the page and protect the service. See the Privacy Policy for the details we can state accurately.
What is stored on your device
The Invoice Generator can save a draft in your browser's
localStorage when you ask it to. That draft stays on your
device and is not sent to us. Other tools keep their working data in
memory for the current tab; closing the tab clears it. The site does not
currently use advertising or analytics scripts.
Why some tools take longer the first time
The Background Remover downloads an ONNX model the first time it runs, which can be tens of megabytes. After that, the browser cache usually keeps it, so later runs start much faster. Large PDFs and high-resolution photos also take longer on phones because they need more memory and CPU than a desktop computer.
Still unsure about a specific tool? Ask through the contact page and mention the tool and browser you are using.