Faq
The questions people actually ask about ToolsVale — how the tools work, what happens to your files, and what they cost. If yours isn’t here, the request form on the tools page is the fastest way to reach us.
The questions people actually send us, answered properly rather than in one evasive line. If yours is not here, the last section tells you where to ask it.
Short version, if you are in a hurry: everything is free with no account, most tools never send your file anywhere, there are no watermarks or conversion caps, and the site is paid for by ads on the page rather than by holding features back.
Still stuck?
If a tool is behaving badly, report the bug — name the tool and the file type, and it goes straight to whoever wrote it. If a tool you need does not exist yet, request it; requests are read weekly and the most-asked one gets built first. For anything else, contact us.
Two pages answer the bigger questions in more depth: how we handle files covers privacy and processing, and how it works covers what happens when you use a tool.
Are the tools free?
Yes, all of them. No account, no sign-up wall, no watermark on the output, and no paid tier that unlocks a bigger file or removes a limit. Because the tools run on your device rather than on a server, there's no running cost to pass on to you.
Do my files get uploaded anywhere?
For nearly every tool, no. The work runs in your browser, on your own device, and your files are never sent to a server. You can confirm it: open a tool, go offline, and it still works. The few jobs that genuinely can't run locally say so clearly, above the controls, before you begin.
Do I need to install anything or create an account?
Neither. Anything with a current version of Chrome, Safari, Firefox or Edge runs the tools — phones and tablets included — with nothing to install and nobody to sign up as. You open a page and use it.
Is there a limit on file size or how many files I can do?
There's no cap imposed here. The real ceiling is your device's memory, since that's where the work happens: a phone handles a modest batch, a laptop handles a large one. If a very big job stalls, split it in half and run it twice. No per-day limit, and no paid tier that lifts one.
Can I convert several files at once?
Yes. Drop in a whole folder's worth. Each file is handled in turn with its own progress bar, and you can save them one by one or take the lot as a single ZIP.
Which tools does ToolsVale have?
A growing library grouped into categories — image, PDF, data, code and video. The tools page lists everything on one screen with a search and filter; the categories page groups them by what they work on. New tools are added over time.
What if the tool I need isn't here?
Use the request form on the tools page. Describe what you're starting with, what you need it to become, and what usually goes wrong when you try it elsewhere. Requests are read regularly, and the one asked for most is the one built next.
Something's broken — how do I report it?
There's a report-a-bug page for exactly that. Name the tool, say what you did and what you expected, and add your browser if you can. Reports go straight to whoever built that tool, so a clear one usually gets fixed quickly.
Do I need to create an account to use ToolsVale?
No, and there is no way to create one. There is no sign-up, no login, and no email required to use any tool on the site. You open the page, use the tool, and close the tab — nothing is tied to you and no history is kept.
Which browsers do your tools work in?
Any current version of Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Safari or Brave, on desktop and mobile. The tools rely on standard browser features rather than plugins, so nothing needs installing. Very old browsers may lack support for newer formats like AVIF or WebP encoding, and the tool will say so rather than fail silently.
Can I use these tools on my phone?
Yes. Every tool works in a mobile browser on both iOS and Android, including batch conversion. Large batches are limited by your phone's memory rather than by us, so a very big job may be more comfortable on a laptop.
Do the tools work offline?
Usually, for in-browser tools. Once the page has loaded, the conversion code is already on your device, so a dropped connection generally will not interrupt you. Tools marked "server" need the connection, since the file has to make a round trip.
Is there a limit on how many files I can convert?
No daily limit, no hourly limit, and no counter running in the background. Batch size is bounded only by your device's available memory. There is no paid tier to upgrade to, so there is nothing to gain by capping you.
Why is my converted file bigger than the original?
Almost always because you moved from a lossy format to a lossless one. Converting JPG to PNG stores every pixel exactly and usually increases size, without improving how it looks — the detail the JPG discarded cannot be recovered. If you want a smaller file, convert to WebP or use the image compressor instead.
What happens to transparency when I convert to JPG?
JPG cannot store transparency, so transparent areas must be filled with a solid colour. Most converters silently use white, which is why logos come back with a white box. Our tools flag this before conversion and let you choose the background colour, so the result matches wherever you are placing it.
Will converting a file reduce its quality?
It depends on the target format. Lossless formats like PNG and WebP-lossless preserve every pixel. Lossy formats like JPG and standard WebP discard some detail, which is how they get smaller — our tools expose the quality setting on the page so you decide the tradeoff instead of inheriting a hidden default.
Does converting remove my photo's metadata, like location and camera info?
In most cases yes, because the conversion re-encodes the image rather than copying it. That is usually what people want when sharing photos publicly. If you need EXIF preserved, check the individual tool page — where a tool can carry metadata across, it says so.
Why does my HEIC file not open on Windows?
HEIC is Apple's default photo format and Windows does not read it without an extra codec from the Microsoft Store. Rather than installing that, most people convert to JPG or PNG once and move on — which is why HEIC conversion is one of the most-used categories on this site.