Privacy and deletion
Your files are private to your account, never sold or shared beyond the providers that run the service, and every upload is deleted 24 hours after the book is ready, or 24 hours after upload if it was never converted.
Key takeaways
- Your uploads and the PDFs made from them are private to your account.
- Every upload is deleted 24 hours after the book is ready.
- If a book is never converted, the upload is deleted 24 hours after it was uploaded.
- Download your PDF within that window; after deletion it can't be recovered.
The short version
People upload all sorts of scanned books: library scans of out-of-print titles, family histories, textbooks they bought, their own shelves scanned at home. Before you upload any of them, you should know who can see the file and how long it exists. This page answers both, in plain words. The legal detail is in the full privacy policy.
Who can see your files
Your uploads, and the PDFs made from them, are private to your account. They are not shared with other users and not published anywhere. Google processes them and Cloudflare stores them, only to run the service; we never sell them or share them with anyone else. You sign in to see and download your own books.
When your files are deleted
There are two cases, and in both the clock is 24 hours:
- Your book was converted. The upload and everything made from it are deleted 24 hours after the book is ready.
- Your book was never converted. If you upload a file and don’t run it, or it never finishes, the upload is deleted 24 hours after it was uploaded.
If you upload a file on the upload page before signing in and don’t sign in within an hour, that upload is deleted after the hour.
Deletion is automatic. You don’t have to ask, and it happens on every account.
What this means for you
Download straight away
Because the finished PDF is deleted within 24 hours of being ready, download it as soon as it’s done and keep it on your own computer or e-reader. FixMyScan is not a library or a backup.
Keep your original scan
Deletion includes your upload, so keep your own copy of the original scan. If you want to run the book again later, for example with a different crop, upload it again.
Sending to a device
When you send the finished PDF to your e-reader, it then lives in that service too. For a Kindle, Amazon’s Send to Kindle stores documents in your Amazon library under Amazon’s own terms. Delete it there if you don’t want it kept.
Personal documents
Scans of family records, letters and annotated books get the same treatment as any other file: private to your account and deleted on the same schedule. FixMyScan reads printed text only, so handwritten notes in a margin stay on the page as part of the image but are not turned into searchable text.
If you email the finished PDF to a Kindle, the file also passes through your email provider. Sending it from the Send to Kindle website or a USB cable avoids that step.
What to upload
Upload scanned books you have the right to use: public-domain books, your own scans of books you own, and files you are licensed to read. The terms and copyright policy set out the rules, including how rights holders can contact us.
If something goes wrong
If a book fails while it is being processed, it isn’t counted against your plan, and the upload is still deleted on the same 24-hour schedule. If you need us to look at a file that failed, write to support@fixmyscan.com before the 24 hours are up, because after that there is nothing left to inspect.
Payments
If you pay for a plan, your account shows your plan and lets you cancel in one click; access runs to the end of the period you paid for. The full policy explains how payment details are handled.
Questions
Anything not covered here or in the privacy policy: write to support@fixmyscan.com.
Questions
How long do you keep my file?
Every upload is deleted 24 hours after the book is ready, or 24 hours after upload if it was never converted.
Is the finished PDF deleted too?
Yes. The upload and the outputs made from it go together, within the same 24-hour window.
Can I get my book back after it's deleted?
No. Once deleted it can't be recovered, so keep the downloaded PDF on your own device. You can upload the scan again if you need a new copy.
Does anyone else see my book?
No other user does. Google processes your files and Cloudflare stores them, for us only. We never sell or share them otherwise.
Do I need an account?
Yes, an account keeps your files private to you and lets you download your book.
What can I upload?
Scanned books you have the right to use, such as public-domain scans, your own scans or files you are licensed to read. FixMyScan takes PDF and DjVu files of up to 1,000 pages.
Where is the full privacy policy?
The full policy is at app.fixmyscan.com/privacy, and the terms at app.fixmyscan.com/terms.