Document lifecycle
Document data retention
Most PDFandDOC tools process supported files directly in your browser, so those files do not need to be uploaded to PDFandDOC for processing. A small number of Word conversion and OCR workflows use temporary Secure Cloud processing. For those tools, uploaded files and generated results are automatically removed according to the retention periods described below, and an explicit delete action may remove them sooner. These limits describe copies handled by PDFandDOC's processing workflow; they do not delete a file already downloaded to your device or control browser history, operating-system storage, cloud-sync software, backups, source websites or copies you later share. Keep originals you need to preserve and treat temporary processing as a conversion workflow rather than durable document storage.
How document files are handled
| Document state | What happens |
|---|---|
| Selected document bytes | For browser-processing tools, supported PDF, image, ICO and DOCX inputs stay on your device while the tool runs. Word to Image, Word to PDF and OCR PDF upload only the selected DOCX or PDF directly from your browser to cloud.pdfanddoc.com for temporary processing. |
| Generated output bytes | Browser-processing tools create their output locally. Secure Cloud results are returned to your browser for download. After retrieval, the tool requests early deletion when that action is available, while the documented retention periods remain the automatic cleanup backstop. |
| Browser/device temporary state and downloaded copies | Browser/Worker memory, browser-managed cache/history, or downloaded copies may exist according to browser/device/user behavior. PDFandDOC makes no zero-retention, exact local purge-time or browser-vendor cleanup guarantee. |
Important scope and caveats
- Browser-local document processing does not mean zero website network activity; normal page assets and other ordinary site requests may still occur.
- This document-file-lifecycle page does not define general web-log, cookie, analytics, personal-data or legal privacy-retention periods.
- The Secure Cloud 15/30/60-minute lifecycle describes the current cleanup limits; it is not a data-residency certification or a broader service-level agreement.
- Encrypted or password-protected PDFs are unsupported. PDFandDOC does not request, upload, store or use a password for decryption.
- The retention clock applies to PDFandDOC's temporary processing copies. It cannot describe or control copies retained by the source website used for URL import, your browser or operating system, a download folder, cloud-sync software, backups or a recipient you send the result to.
- Temporary processing is not document storage or backup. Keep any original document you need to preserve and verify a downloaded result before deleting your own source copy.
- An explicit delete request can shorten the Secure Cloud lifecycle for the job data PDFandDOC controls, but it cannot remove a copy that has already been downloaded, synchronized, backed up or shared elsewhere.
When Secure Cloud processing is used
- Only Word to Image, Word to PDF and OCR PDF use Secure Cloud processing. Tools that run in your browser do not silently switch to cloud processing.
- For Secure Cloud tools, the selected file travels directly from your browser to cloud.pdfanddoc.com for the requested task.
- Completed results are kept for up to 15 minutes, abandoned or failed jobs for up to 30 minutes, and customer-file data is automatically removed within 60 minutes. An earlier delete request may remove it sooner.
- Word to Image and Word to PDF accept DOCX input only; OCR PDF accepts PDF input. Legacy DOC is not accepted by the Secure Cloud Word routes, and a browser-local tool does not become a cloud job merely because its local processing fails.
- Browser-direct URL import is a separate intake path. The browser fetches the source over HTTPS when the source server allows it; PDFandDOC does not route arbitrary source URLs through a cloud processing service or web-server proxy.
- If a file imported into the browser is then processed with Word to Image, Word to PDF or OCR PDF, that selected file follows the same disclosed Secure Cloud upload and cleanup lifecycle as a file chosen from the device. Browser-local tools remain local after import.
Reviewed by PDFandDOC product review. Last reviewed 2026-09-19.