Privacy Policy

Last updated: 25 June 2026

This Privacy Policy explains how PDFBEAR ("PDFBEAR", "we", "us" or "our") collects, uses, stores and protects your information when you use our free online PDF tools at https://pdfbear.com. It does not replace specific legal advice. Our products and practices evolve, so please refer to the current version on this site and contact us if you have any questions.

1. Owner and Data Controller

The owner and data controller of this Application is:

MEGACLOUD LIMITED
12A2 Fuk On Factory Building, 1123 Canton Road, Mong Kok, Hong Kong

Owner contact email: info@pdfbear.com

2. Introduction and scope

PDFBEAR (pdfbear.com) provides free online PDF tools that let you convert files to and from PDF, images and Office formats, as well as merge, split, compress, organize, rotate, e-sign, OCR and watermark documents, plus AI features such as chat with PDF, summarize, question generator and translate. This policy explains what we collect when you use the website and these tools, why we collect it, and the choices and rights you have.

This policy applies to the PDFBEAR website, accounts and tools. It does not apply to third-party websites or services that we may link to, which have their own privacy policies.

3. Information we collect

Among the types of Personal Data that this Application collects, by itself or through third parties, there are: Cookies; Usage Data; first name; email address; password; company name; VAT Number; and country. Personal Data may be freely provided by the User, or, in the case of Usage Data, collected automatically when using this Application.

Account information

If you create an account, we collect your email address and a securely hashed version of your password. If you sign in with Google or Microsoft, we receive a sign-in identifier from that provider instead of a password. We also store e-signatures that you choose to save, and your conversion and usage history.

Files and content

When you use a tool, you upload files (up to 50 MB each) which are processed over a secure (HTTPS) connection. The resulting files are stored so you can download and manage them from your file manager. We process the contents of your files only to provide the tool you requested and the related download, sharing and management features.

Usage and technical information

We collect basic technical data such as your IP address, browser and device type, the pages and tools you use, and similar log information. Anonymous guests are tracked with a cookie so we can offer a limited number of free files before asking you to register.

Payment information

If you subscribe to Premium, payment is processed by Stripe. We do not store your full card numbers. We keep a Stripe customer identifier and a subscription identifier so we can manage your plan, billing status and access. To ensure greater security, only the information necessary to execute a transaction is shared with the financial intermediaries handling the payment.

Communications

We send transactional and lifecycle emails, such as verification, welcome, reminder and receipt messages, through our email provider Resend. If you contact us, we keep your message so we can respond and improve our service.

4. How we use your information

• To provide, operate and maintain the PDF and AI tools you use.
• To create and secure your account and verify your email address.
• To store, let you download, share and manage your converted files.
• To process Premium subscriptions, trials, renewals and cancellations.
• To send transactional and lifecycle emails related to your account and usage.
• To enforce guest limits, prevent abuse, fraud and misuse, and keep the service secure.
• To understand how the service is used and to improve our tools and content.
• To comply with legal obligations and respond to lawful requests.

5. Mode and place of processing the Data

The Owner takes appropriate security measures to prevent unauthorized access, disclosure, modification, or unauthorized destruction of the Data. The Data processing is carried out using computers and/or IT-enabled tools, following organizational procedures and modes strictly related to the purposes indicated. In addition to the Owner, in some cases the Data may be accessible to certain types of persons in charge, involved with the operation of this Application (administration, sales, marketing, legal, system administration) or external parties (such as third-party technical service providers, mail carriers, hosting providers, IT companies, communications agencies) appointed, if necessary, as Data Processors by the Owner. The updated list of these parties may be requested from the Owner at any time.

The Data is processed at the Owner's operating offices and in any other places where the parties involved in the processing are located. Depending on the User's location, data transfers may involve transferring the User's Data to a country other than their own.

6. Legal bases (GDPR)

For users in the EU and UK, we rely on the following legal bases: performance of a contract (to provide the tools and account you request); legitimate interests (to secure, maintain and improve the service and prevent abuse); consent (for non-essential cookies and certain communications, where required); and legal obligation (to meet our legal and regulatory duties). You can withdraw consent at any time where consent is the basis. In any case, the Owner will gladly help to clarify the specific legal basis that applies to the processing.

7. File retention and deletion

How long we keep your files depends on your plan:

• Free accounts: a file is automatically removed 14 days after its last activity. Downloading the file or visiting its share link counts as activity and resets the 14-day timer.
• Premium (PRO) accounts: files are kept for as long as your subscription is active, so they remain available in your File Manager while you are a Premium member. If you cancel, your files stay available for 30 days after your subscription ends and are then removed.

You can delete any file at any time from your file manager at /my-files. Files may be stored on S3-compatible object storage (such as Wasabi or AWS). If you create a share link, the shared page is set to noindex/nofollow so search engines do not index it; anyone with the link can view the file until you delete it.

8. Sharing and disclosure (subprocessors)

We do not sell your personal information. We share data with trusted third-party providers only as needed to run the service:

• Google - Sign-in (OAuth).
• Microsoft - Sign-in (OAuth).
• Stripe - Payment processing for Premium subscriptions.
• OpenAI - Powers the AI features (Chat with PDF, summarize, translate, question generator and OCR).
• Resend - Sending transactional and lifecycle emails.
• Wasabi / AWS S3 - Object storage for your uploaded and converted files.
• Hosting and CDN providers - Serving the website and delivering content reliably.

We may also disclose information if required by law, to enforce our terms, or to protect the rights, safety and security of our users, the public or PDFBEAR.

9. International transfers

Our providers may process and store data in countries other than your own, including the United States. Where we transfer personal data internationally, we rely on appropriate safeguards such as standard contractual clauses or the provider's own approved transfer mechanisms. Users are entitled to learn about the legal basis of Data transfers to a country outside the European Union or to any international organization, and about the security measures taken by the Owner to safeguard their Data.

10. Security

We use technical and organizational measures to protect your information, including HTTPS encryption in transit, securely hashed passwords, access controls and reputable infrastructure providers. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, so we cannot guarantee absolute security, but we work to protect your data and limit access to it.

11. Retention time

Personal Data shall be processed and stored for as long as required by the purpose it has been collected for. The Owner may be allowed to retain Personal Data for a longer period whenever the User has given consent to such processing, as long as such consent is not withdrawn. Furthermore, the Owner may be obliged to retain Personal Data for a longer period whenever required to do so for the performance of a legal obligation or upon order of an authority. Once the retention period expires, Personal Data shall be deleted.

12. Your rights and choices

Depending on where you live, you may have rights to access, correct, export or delete your personal data and account. You can manage and delete your files from /my-files at any time, and you can ask us to delete your account by contacting us. We honor GDPR (EU and UK) and CCPA (California) style rights, including the right to know what we collect, the right to deletion, the right to rectification, the right to data portability, and the right not to be discriminated against for exercising your rights. To make a request, please use our contact page; we may need to verify your identity before acting on a request.

13. Cookies

We use strictly necessary, preference and analytics cookies. Any use of Cookies - or of other tracking tools - serves the purpose of providing the Service required by the User, in addition to any other purposes described in this document. For full details on the cookies we use and how to control them, please read our Cookie Policy.

14. Children

PDFBEAR is not directed to children under 13 (or under 16 in the EU). We do not knowingly collect personal data from children. If you believe a child has provided us with personal data, please contact us and we will delete it.

15. AI features

When you use AI features such as chat with PDF, summarize, question generator or translate, the relevant files or text are sent to a third-party AI provider (OpenAI) to generate the result. Please avoid submitting sensitive information you do not want processed by an external AI service.

16. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will revise the "Last updated" date above. Significant changes may be communicated through the site. Your continued use of PDFBEAR after an update means you accept the revised policy.

17. Contact us

If you have questions about this policy or your data, contact us through our contact page, at info@pdfbear.com, or at privacy@pdfbear.com. Company and legal details: MEGACLOUD LIMITED, 12A2 Fuk On Factory Building, 1123 Canton Road, Mong Kok, Hong Kong.