Remove metadata locally without uploading

With most online tools, every cleanup starts the same way: you upload the file. That means the document, photo or CV leaves your device — and you have to trust the provider not to store it, not to analyse it and not to pass it on. That step can be skipped entirely.

What “local” actually means

Local processing means a program on your device reads and changes the file. There is no intermediate step where bytes travel over the network. In the browser this happens through JavaScript and Web Workers; the file stays in your computer's memory.

You can verify that without trusting the vendor:

1. Open your browser's developer tools and switch to the network tab.
2. Drag a file into the application.
3. Watch the requests. A local analysis produces no request containing the file.

ShredHub deliberately has no upload endpoint. If you save a scan to your history, only the metadata report is transmitted — not the file. That is the difference between “we promise not to store it” and “there is no way to send it”.

Where local processing hits its limits

Local is not automatically unlimited. Three constraints are worth knowing:

• Memory. A browser tab has a budget that depends on the device and browser. Very large files, such as videos or extensive PDFs, can exceed it.
• Filesystem access. The browser cannot freely work through your folders. Every file has to be selected or dropped individually — tedious for batch work.
• Dependence on the browser. An update, an extension or a corporate network policy can change or block the application.

For most photos, PDFs and Office documents these limits are fine. For large volumes, large files or machines without internet access, they are not.

Why we are building a desktop app

A desktop app for Windows, macOS and Linux (Debian) is in development. It is not a different product with different features, but the same idea without the browser's limits:

• No browser tab, no memory ceiling. The app reads files directly from disk and handles large batches.
• Without an internet connection. Cleaning works fully offline. That matters for machines in isolated networks, for travel and for anyone who does not want an application to open an outbound connection at all.
• Batch processing. Whole folders can be checked and cleaned in one pass.

The app will be available exclusively on the Pro plan. There is no release date yet; we won't name one before it is reliable. The web app remains available on the free tier regardless.

What to look for in any tool

Whether you use another tool or ours, five questions separate local from central processing.

1. Is there an upload endpoint? Check the network tab, not the marketing copy.
2. Does the application work offline? If it does, processing cannot be happening on a server.
3. What gets stored? A history is fine — but it should store the report, not the file.
4. Can you verify the result? Cleaning without a follow-up verification is a claim.
5. What happens to the original? A good application does not overwrite your source file without asking.

What changes for you — and what doesn't

The web app stays the fastest route for individual files: open, check, clean, download. The desktop app is for people who regularly process many files, work without internet or deliberately want processing outside the browser.

Nothing changes about the web app. You need a free account to scan files — but no subscription and no installation to see which metadata a photo carries.

Frequently asked questions

Is the desktop app available yet? No. It is in development. Once there is a reliable version we will publish it — and announce the date beforehand, not after the fact.

Do I need an internet connection for the web app? To load the page, yes. The actual analysis and cleaning then runs locally in your browser. The desktop app, by contrast, will work entirely without a connection.

Are my files uploaded to ShredHub? No. There is no upload endpoint. Only a report is stored, and only if you explicitly save it to your history.

Why is the desktop app part of Pro? Because it costs more than a website: installers, code signing, updates and support for three operating systems. The free tier stays as it is.

Takeaway

Local processing is not a feature you add later — it is an architectural decision. The fewer places a file touches, the fewer places can pass it on. With every tool, check whether the file leaves your device. If it doesn't, the rest is a question of usability.