Cookie Policy

Honest framing: We are not a company built on tracking people. We use minimal storage - mostly to remember your theme preference. The cookies that do exist are either from Google Analytics collecting anonymous statistics, or from advertising that helps keep the service free. You can opt out of both.

1Why We Are Even Talking About Cookies

Most cookie policies exist because a site is full of trackers and needs to disclose them. Ours exists because we believe in being transparent even when the picture is mostly good news. iHatePDF uses very little in the way of persistent storage, and what little we do use is either for your benefit or disclosed clearly here.

2Local Storage - Your Preferences

When you switch to dark or light mode, we remember that choice using your browser's local storage. This is not a cookie - it is a small piece of data that lives only on your device, never gets sent to our servers, and cannot be read by any other website. Think of it as a sticky note on your own computer. You can clear it at any time through your browser's developer tools or settings.

3Google Analytics - Understanding Usage

We use Google Analytics to learn how people interact with iHatePDF in aggregate. We want to know which tools are used most, whether mobile users have a good experience, and where we should focus improvements. Google Analytics achieves this through cookies that track anonymous session data. We have configured it with IP anonymisation enabled, meaning your precise location is never recorded. No individual is ever identifiable from the data we see. If you prefer not to participate, install the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on - it works across every website that uses Google Analytics.

4Google AdSense - Keeping the Service Free

Running servers, maintaining software, and improving tools has a cost. To cover that cost without charging users, iHatePDF displays advertisements through Google AdSense. Google may use cookies to make those ads relevant to your interests based on your browsing activity across different sites. If you would prefer ads that are not personalised, you can adjust your settings at adssettings.google.com or opt out of interest-based advertising entirely at aboutads.info. The ads will still appear - they just will not be tailored to you.

5Cookies Set by Third Parties

When Google Analytics or AdSense are active on a page, those services may set their own cookies independently of anything we do. We do not have direct control over those cookies, and their behaviour is governed by Google's own privacy policy rather than ours. If you want to understand exactly what Google stores, their privacy documentation is thorough and publicly available.

6How to Take Control

Every major browser gives you the tools to manage cookies. You can view what has been set, delete individual cookies, block cookies from specific sites, or block all third-party cookies globally. Browsing in private or incognito mode prevents cookies from persisting between sessions. Some of these settings may affect the experience on other websites - blocking all cookies is a significant change, not one we would recommend unless you have a specific reason.

7Do Not Track

Some browsers send a Do Not Track signal to websites you visit. We respect the intent behind this signal. Our analytics setup already anonymises data by default, and we do not build behavioural profiles of individual visitors. We do not use cross-site tracking, fingerprinting, or any technique designed to identify you across the web.

8When This Policy Changes

If we add a new service, change how we use analytics, or introduce any new form of storage, we will update this page and revise the effective date. We will not quietly introduce tracking that contradicts what is written here. Continuing to use iHatePDF after an update means you are comfortable with the revised policy.

9Still Have Questions?

Cookie policies are dense by nature, but yours are straightforward. If anything here is unclear, or if you have a concern about data storage we have not addressed, please contact us through the website. We would rather explain something than leave you uncertain.