Privacy policy for OCR files, accounts, and logs
This policy explains what Free-OCR.net processes, why it is needed, how long local copies remain, and where a separate remote processor is involved.
- Public OCR
- Two guest files included
- Guest results
- 60 minute local expiry
- Advertising
- No cross-site ad cookies required
Scope of this policy
This policy covers the Free-OCR.net website, OCR tools, optional accounts, saved exports, and operational logs.
Free-OCR.net processes information needed to deliver an OCR request, protect the service, and provide optional account storage. Public OCR does not require an account. The site does not need cross-site advertising cookies to perform OCR.
This policy distinguishes Free-OCR.net's local copies from copies handled by a remote OCR processor. It should be read with the security and file-handling page, which describes the technical sequence in greater detail.
Information we process and why
Different data serves different parts of the request.
| Category | Examples | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Source content | Uploaded image or PDF, selected pages, visible document text | Prepare the file, run recognition, and create the requested exports |
| OCR result data | Recognized text, Markdown, word boxes, confidence values, structured fields | Display, edit, review, share, and download the result |
| Request settings | Language mode, cleanup preset, page range, layout mode, task type | Run the requested workflow and explain how the result was produced |
| Account data | Email address, name supplied by the identity provider, saved export references | Authenticate the user and provide the optional private dashboard |
| Operational data | Request time, route, status, IP address, user agent, bounded error detail | Security monitoring, abuse prevention, diagnosis, and reliability |
How file copies move and expire
The retention clock depends on the kind and location of the copy.
Local working files
The untouched upload, rendered pages, and temporary cleanup images live in a random job workspace and are removed when processing finishes or fails.
Guest result exports
Generated results remain locally available through an unguessable token for 60 minutes. A layout-preserved export contains rendered source pages by design.
Saved account exports
A signed-in user can save generated exports to a private dashboard for 30 days or delete them earlier.
Accounts, cookies, and third-party sign-in
The account layer is optional and uses only what is needed for authentication and saved files.
An essential session cookie keeps a user signed in and protects account actions. In production it is configured as HTTP-only, secure, and SameSite Lax. Free-OCR.net does not require a third-party advertising cookie for OCR.
Google sign-in requests identity scopes used to identify the account. The application does not store Google access or refresh tokens. Google's handling of the sign-in interaction is governed by Google's own privacy terms.
Server and reverse-proxy logs may retain operational data according to infrastructure policy. Application logging should not intentionally include extracted document text; bounded error details are used to diagnose failures without turning logs into a document archive.
Your privacy choices
The most effective control happens before upload.
Do not upload a document unless you have permission to process it. Review the terms of use for upload responsibilities and service limits.
Policy changes and current version
Material changes should be reflected in the text and the reviewed date.
This page is updated when the service changes the categories of data it processes, the reason for processing, the account model, the local retention schedule, or the remote processor relationship. The reviewed date at the bottom identifies the current version of this policy.
If a policy change makes the service unsuitable for a document, do not upload that document. The public tool can be evaluated without creating an account.
Page reviewed 25 October 2026