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I merge customer documents on a shared office computer. What is left on the machine afterwards?

The files are not uploaded anywhere, because [[merge-pdf]] works inside the browser, and pressing 'Reset' or closing the tab clears them from the page. What stays is what you put on the machine yourself: merged.pdf in the Downloads folder, the originals wherever you saved them, and the file names in the download history. Those need clearing by hand.

Published · 2 min read

What you do not need to worry about

While merging, Merge PDFs reads the files into the browser's memory on this same computer and are not sent to our server or any other service. Once you close the tab, the tool does not keep a copy to show the next person who opens the page. If a colleague opens the tool after you, they find an empty list.

What really stays on the machine

  • The merged file: downloaded as merged.pdf into the Downloads folder, where it stays until you delete it.
  • The originals: if you downloaded them from email or WhatsApp Web onto this machine, they are in Downloads too.
  • The browser's download history: lists the names and locations of files you downloaded, sometimes even after the files are deleted.
  • The recycle bin: an ordinary delete moves a file there rather than removing it from the machine.

A clean-up routine after every merge on a shared PC

  1. Move the merged file somewhere of your own: your cloud storage account, your own USB stick, or send it straight to whoever needs it.
  2. Delete merged.pdf and the originals from the Downloads folder.
  3. Empty the recycle bin, or delete those particular files from it.
  4. Remove those entries from the browser's download history.
  5. Press 'Reset' in the tool or close the tab.

If you do this often, it is easier to work in a private browsing window: the browser does not keep its download history once you close it. Careful, though: files you download from a private window still land in Downloads like any other, so step two still matters.

Before you even start

Rename the merged file straight away to something that does not reveal whose it is to anyone glancing at the screen, and do not leave customer IDs or bank statements open in the reader while you step away. Small habits like these protect your customers more than any tool.

Common questions

Does the browser keep a copy of the files in its cache?

The tool does not save your files in browser storage. Still, close the tab when you finish on a shared machine.

Does private browsing delete the downloaded file?

No. Private browsing only clears the history; the file stays in Downloads until you delete it.

Can I choose where the file is saved instead of Downloads?

That is a setting in your browser itself: many browsers can ask you where to save each download.