Privacy
Are online video converters safe?
Most well-known converters publish a policy that promises to delete your file after a set time and not to look at it. That's a promise you can't check from outside. Once the file is uploaded, it sits on a server you don't control for anywhere from minutes to days. For most videos, that's fine. For private ones, like family videos, work recordings, or anything that shows faces, documents, or where you live, the surest option is not to upload them.
What happens when you upload a video
Step 1
The file leaves your device
Your browser sends the whole video to the service's servers before any converting starts.
Step 2
A server converts it
The server reads the video and writes a new file. The original and the result both sit in its storage.
Step 3
It's deleted later
The service deletes both on a timer or when you ask, according to its policy. You can't see that happen.
What to check before you upload
- How long is the file kept?
- Look for a number of hours or days. “As long as needed” has no limit.
- Where is it stored?
- The country decides which laws apply to it.
- Who can open it?
- Some services say no person looks at files; some say staff can't reach them at all.
- What else is recorded?
- File names, IP addresses, and email addresses are often logged, and some are kept longer than the file.
- What does signing in share?
- Signing in with Google or Facebook passes your name and email address along, and connecting a drive grants access to files there.
What six converters say they do with your file
Summarized from each service's own privacy policy and help pages, checked on September 27, 2026. Each name links to the quotes and sources.
| Service | Where files are stored | How long they're kept | Ads and tracking |
|---|---|---|---|
| FreeConvert | Amazon Web Services, Ireland | Up to 8 hours | Third-party analytics and social cookies |
| CloudConvert | Germany, or the US for US visitors | Up to 24 hours | Technically necessary cookies only |
| Convertio | European Union | Upload deleted after converting; result up to 24 hours | Google AdSense ads and Google Analytics |
| Clideo | Germany, per its help center | As long as the project needs; no fixed period | Analytics providers; non-essential cookies with consent |
| Zamzar | File servers in the United States | Up to 7 days | No third-party ads; analytics cookies |
| ezgif | Not stated | Up to 1 hour after last use | Ads and traffic-analysis cookies |
Private by design
Or keep the file on your device
Mastershot's tools run in your browser. The video is read from your disk, converted by your own computer, and saved back to your disk. You can check: open your browser's developer tools, go to the Network tab, and convert a file. No request carries the video.
- No upload
- No account
- No watermark
What Mastershot does record
Mastershot uses PostHog to improve the service and to detect when bugs occur. PostHog receives your IP address and sets a cookie to recognize a returning visit. It never receives your files. Privacy
Working on your device has limits too. A browser can't decode every format a server can, and a long video converts only as fast as your computer.
Questions
Converter by converter
- Is FreeConvert safe?Files kept: up to 8 hours
- Is CloudConvert safe?Files kept: up to 24 hours
- Is Convertio safe?Files kept: upload deleted after converting; result up to 24 hours
- Is Clideo safe?Files kept: as long as the project needs; no fixed period
- Is Zamzar safe?Files kept: up to 7 days
- Is ezgif safe?Files kept: up to 1 hour after last use
- Is CapCut safe?Files kept: as long as needed for its services
These pages report what each service says in its own published policies, quoted as of the date at the top. Policies change, so follow the links for the current wording. This is not a security audit, and Mastershot has not tested these services' claims. FreeConvert, CloudConvert, Convertio, Clideo, Zamzar, ezgif, and CapCut are trademarks of their respective owners, none of which sponsors or endorses Mastershot.