Home/FAQ
Common questions

Everything
you might ask.

Can't find your question? Write in — we reply within a day.

The basics

How do I convert a file?

Drop your file into the box on the home page, pick a target format from the dropdown, hit Convert, and download the result. There's no account, no installation, and no settings to tweak. The full three-step walkthrough is on How to use.

Which formats are supported?

Documents: PDF, DOCX, TXT, HTML. Images: JPG, PNG, GIF, BMP, TIFF, WebP. OCR: extract text from PDF or image. The complete list — including which conversions are live — is on /formats.

Is Formatly free?

Yes. No trial, no watermark, no sign-up. Free for personal and commercial use. We may add an optional paid tier in the future for very large files or API access, but the core converter will stay free for everyone.

Do I need an account?

No. There's intentionally no sign-up flow. Drop a file, get a converted file. Nothing to remember, nothing to log into.

Does Formatly work on mobile?

Yes. The whole site is a single page of plain HTML — it works in mobile Safari, Chrome, Firefox, and any modern phone browser. Upload from your photo library, files app, or cloud drive (Google Drive, iCloud, Dropbox) using the system file picker.

Limits & performance

What's the max file size?

20 MB per file, up to 5 files per upload. Heavier jobs — write in and we'll see what we can do. The 20 MB limit is per source file; the converted output may be larger or smaller depending on the format.

How long does a conversion take?

Most documents finish in a few seconds. Image conversions are usually sub-second. OCR on a long, image-heavy PDF can take up to a minute. If you've been waiting longer than two minutes, something failed silently — refresh the page and try again.

Can I convert multiple files at once?

Up to 5 at a time through the main uploader. Each file is processed independently and shown in its own status row, so a single bad file won't block the rest of the batch.

Why is my batch slower than a single file?

Large batches share converter capacity with everyone else hitting the site, so peak hours can add a few seconds per file. We size capacity to keep the typical wait under five seconds.

Privacy & security

Are my files safe?

Uploads happen over HTTPS, land in a signed, time-boxed bucket, and are auto-deleted within an hour. Nobody on the team reads them. See Security for the details on storage, network isolation, and retention.

Do you store my files?

No. Both the source and the converted output are deleted one hour after upload. After that the URLs return 404. We don't keep backups, audit trails, or analytics copies of file contents.

Can your team see my files?

No. Conversion runs in an isolated worker process. There's no UI for us to browse uploaded files, and the bucket is scoped to the converter service account.

Is the connection encrypted?

Yes. The site is HTTPS-only with HSTS, so even an old bookmarked HTTP link upgrades automatically. Uploads, downloads, and the conversion API all use TLS.

Do you log filenames or metadata?

We log the file extension and conversion type (e.g. "docx → pdf, 3.2 MB") for capacity planning. We don't log filenames, IP addresses linked to specific files, or file contents.

Conversion quality

Will my fonts look right?

Standard fonts (Arial, Times, Helvetica, Calibri, common Google Fonts) carry over faithfully. Obscure or licensed fonts may substitute to a similar default. To guarantee a font travels with the document, embed it in the source file before converting.

Why does my converted DOCX look messy?

PDFs aren't structured documents — they're a description of pixels and text positions on a page. Converting to DOCX rebuilds that into something Word can edit, which works well for text-first documents and less well for heavily designed ones (multi-column layouts, infographics, scanned pages). For scanned PDFs, see why scanned PDFs look bad and try OCR first.

Will image transparency be preserved?

PNG, GIF, and WebP keep transparency. Converting to JPG flattens transparency to a white background — JPG doesn't have an alpha channel. If you need transparency in a small file, WebP is usually the best target.

Why did my converted image get bigger?

PNG is lossless; JPG is lossy. Going PNG → JPG usually shrinks; going JPG → PNG can balloon a photo by 5–10×. See PNG vs JPG vs WebP for the trade-offs.

OCR & advanced

Do you support OCR?

Yes. Upload a JPG, PNG, or PDF and pick OCR (Extract Text) as the target. You'll get a plain-text file back. The accuracy is high on clear scans and drops sharply on faint, skewed, or handwritten pages. More on how OCR works.

Which languages does OCR support?

English by default. Latin-script European languages (French, Spanish, German, Italian, Portuguese) work without extra setup. CJK and right-to-left scripts are on the roadmap — request a language and we'll prioritize.

Can I convert a password-protected PDF?

No. The converter runs without your password and can't decrypt the file. Remove the password in Adobe Reader, Preview, or your browser's print-to-PDF dialog first, then upload the unlocked copy.

Is there an API?

Not yet. If a programmatic API is something you'd use, email feedback@formatly.app — we're gauging interest before building it.

Do you support batch downloads as a ZIP?

Not yet — each converted file gets its own download link. If batch ZIP would save you real time, let us know at feedback@formatly.app and we'll prioritize it.

Troubleshooting

Why did my conversion fail?

Common causes: the file is corrupted, password-protected, larger than 20 MB, or in a sub-format we don't yet support. Try a different file, or email bugs@formatly.app with the filename and we'll dig in.

The download link doesn't work.

Right-click the Download button and pick "Save link as." If nothing happens on click, check for a browser pop-up blocker or a privacy extension intercepting download requests. Files expire one hour after upload, so an old link will 404.

Which browsers work?

Any current version of Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or Edge. The site is plain HTML and a small JS uploader — it works anywhere modern. Internet Explorer is not supported.

Where can I report a bug?

Email bugs@formatly.app with the filename, the conversion you tried, and what went wrong. Screenshots help. We reply within a day.

Still didn't find it?

Help center Contact support →