Cookie Policy

1. What are cookies

A cookie is a very small piece of text that a website asks your browser to store on your device when you visit. On subsequent visits, or as you navigate between pages of the same site, the browser sends that text back to the website so it can recognise your session, remember a preference you set, or measure how the site is being used. A cookie typically contains a name, a value (often a random identifier), the domain that is allowed to read it, a path, an expiry date, and a set of flags that control things like whether the cookie is sent over HTTPS only or whether third-party contexts can read it.

Cookies can be either "first-party" (set by the domain in your browser's address bar — in our case, pdfwhirl.com) or "third-party" (set by another domain that the page has loaded resources from, such as googletagmanager.com or doubleclick.net). They can be "session" cookies that expire when you close the browser, or "persistent" cookies that survive across browser sessions up to a pre-defined expiry date.

2. Similar tracking technologies

This policy covers more than cookies in the strict technical sense. We also treat the following as covered tracking technologies, because they serve similar purposes:

• Web storage (localStorage and sessionStorage) — key-value stores scoped to a domain, typically used to remember UI preferences or cached data,
• IndexedDB — a structured storage area used by some tools to speed up in-browser processing of repeated tasks,
• Pixel tags, beacons, and transparent GIFs — tiny image requests that inform a third-party server that a particular page has loaded,
• ETag and cache-based identifiers — HTTP headers that can be used to correlate repeated visits,
• Device fingerprinting — combinations of browser and device characteristics that can identify a device without a cookie; we do not use fingerprinting for tracking, but advertising partners may in some limited cases, and
• SDK identifiers that a future mobile or desktop app would use; we do not currently ship such apps.

3. Cookie categories

PDFWhirl groups cookies into four categories. Each category has its own rules for when it is loaded.

3.1 Strictly necessary

These cookies are essential to the operation of the Site. They protect against cross-site request forgery, defend the edge against automated abuse, and enable core functionality such as responding with the right language or downloading a processed file. Because they are necessary, applicable law does not require prior consent; disabling them will break the site for you.

3.2 Preferences

Preference cookies remember choices you have made — for example, whether you have acknowledged the cookie banner, whether you prefer a light or dark theme, or which language you selected. They are not necessary for the site to run, but they make repeat visits more pleasant.

3.3 Analytics

Analytics cookies count visits and interactions at an aggregated level. They help us understand which pages are popular, whether users complete a tool's workflow, and where performance or usability problems exist. We configure analytics to respect user privacy: IP addresses are truncated before storage where the provider allows it, identifiers are rotated regularly, and we do not cross-reference analytics data with ad-targeting systems.

3.4 Advertising

Advertising cookies are set when ads are displayed on the Site. They support the ability of advertising partners — primarily Google AdSense (publisher ID ca-pub-1004794055866437) — to measure reach, limit the frequency with which a user sees the same ad, and, subject to your consent, show ads that are more likely to be relevant. Advertising cookies do not read the contents of files you upload.

4. Full cookie inventory

The table below lists the cookies PDFWhirl may set or permit on its pages, along with the provider, purpose, category, and retention period. Individual cookies may not appear in every page view; for example, an advertising cookie is only set on pages that render an ad slot and only after the relevant consent is given.

The inventory is reviewed periodically. If you encounter a cookie on pdfwhirl.com that is not listed above, please write to privacy@pdfwhirl.com so we can investigate.

5. Third-party cookies

Some cookies on pdfwhirl.com are set by third parties we integrate with — for example, Google Analytics for measurement, Google AdSense for advertising, and Cloudflare for edge protection. These providers have their own privacy policies, over which PDFWhirl does not have direct control. If you want to review them, the following links are a good starting point:

• Google: policies.google.com/privacy
• Google Analytics opt-out: tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout
• Google Ad Settings: adssettings.google.com
• Cloudflare: cloudflare.com/privacypolicy

6. Consent mechanism

The first time you visit PDFWhirl we display a cookie banner that presents the four categories described above. Strictly-necessary cookies are already active at that point, as they are required for the site to function. The Preferences, Analytics, and Advertising categories are initially off and will only be loaded if you click "Accept all" or tick the individual category. If you ignore the banner or click a refusal option, only strictly-necessary cookies remain. Your choice is recorded in the cookie_consent cookie for twelve months, after which the banner reappears for re-confirmation.

7. Withdrawing or changing consent

You can change your consent at any time by clicking the cookie preferences link in the site footer. Changes take effect immediately for future page loads. Where a category is turned off, any existing cookies in that category that we or our providers placed on your device will stop being read by us; some will be actively deleted, and the rest will expire on their own retention schedules. You can also clear cookies directly in your browser (see the next section).

8. Managing cookies in each browser

Each major browser offers controls to view, block, or delete cookies. Documentation is available at:

• Google Chrome: support.google.com/chrome/answer/95647
• Mozilla Firefox: support.mozilla.org/kb/cookies
• Apple Safari (desktop): support.apple.com/guide/safari/manage-cookies
• Microsoft Edge: support.microsoft.com/microsoft-edge/delete-cookies
• Brave: support.brave.com/hc/articles/360050634931
• Opera: help.opera.com/latest/web-preferences

Disabling strictly-necessary cookies may prevent some parts of the Site from working correctly. Disabling optional cookies will not affect your ability to use the PDF tools.

9. Do Not Track and Global Privacy Control

PDFWhirl recognises the Global Privacy Control (GPC) signal where it is sent by your browser. When GPC is enabled, we treat it as a request to opt out of any sale or sharing of personal information, including the loading of advertising and non-essential analytics cookies on future page loads, without needing to interact with the cookie banner. The older Do Not Track header is also respected for analytics opt-out on a best-effort basis.

10. Mobile device settings

If you browse PDFWhirl on a mobile device, you can use your mobile operating system's privacy controls in addition to the browser cookie controls. On iOS, Settings > Privacy & Security > Tracking lets you disable cross-site tracking globally. On Android, Settings > Google > Ads allows you to opt out of personalised advertising and reset the advertising identifier. These settings apply across all sites you visit, not just PDFWhirl.

11. Retention periods

Each cookie has its own retention period, shown in the inventory table above. Once the period expires, the cookie is removed automatically by your browser. We do not intentionally set cookies with retention periods longer than 13 months for any category that requires consent, in line with common regulator guidance. You can also force-delete any cookie at any time through your browser controls.

12. Children

PDFWhirl is not directed at children under the age of 13 (or 16 in jurisdictions that set a higher threshold). We do not knowingly set cookies or collect personal data from children. If you are a parent or guardian and believe that a child has used PDFWhirl in a way that caused a cookie to be set, please contact privacy@pdfwhirl.com and we will delete associated data.

13. Updates to this policy

We review this Cookie Policy regularly and update it when our use of cookies changes. The last-updated date at the top of the page always reflects the latest version. If we add a new category of cookies or a new third-party integration, we will re-prompt you through the consent banner before loading the new trackers.

14. Contact us

Questions about this Cookie Policy or about a specific cookie you have seen on pdfwhirl.com should be sent to privacy@pdfwhirl.com. For broader privacy questions, see the Privacy Policy.