Convert
The Convert page is where you turn one file into another format.
Step 1 — Pick a file
Click or drag a file into the dropzone. The hint text below the dropzone shows which format families are available for your tier (e.g. "Image · Audio · Video · Document · Archive").
Size limits
- Free: 10 MB max
- Pro: 500 MB max
If your file exceeds the limit you'll see an error before the upload starts.
Step 2 — Choose target & preset
After picking a file, the format picker shows all available targets for that source type, filtered by your tier. Free-only targets appear with a lock icon.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Target format dropdown | Pick the output format (PNG, MP3, PDF, etc.) |
| Preset dropdown | Pick a quality preset (Web, High, Standard, etc.). Defaults match the target format's most common use. Presets are server-validated — you can't pass arbitrary flags. |
| Preserve metadata toggle | Keep EXIF, ID3, and document author fields in the output. Pro only — Free users see a "Forge Pro only" tooltip. |
| Optional settings | Some targets expose extra knobs (resize, quality, rotate, trim, PDF page range, image DPI, …). They appear under the picker when the chosen target supports them. |
New ways to convert
- Convert to the same format (e.g. PNG → PNG, MP3 → MP3, PDF → PDF) to apply the optional settings — shrink/resize an image, re-encode audio, or linearize/rotate a PDF — without changing format.
- Turn a PDF or document into images: pick the ZIP target to render its pages to PNG or JPG (choose the resolution and which pages), delivered as one ZIP.
- PDF → editable Word/ODT/RTF now returns real editable text.
Step 3 — Forge it
Click Convert. The progress bar reflects real worker progress through three stages:
- Scanning — magic-byte check and ClamAV malware scan.
- Queued — waiting for a worker in the right format queue.
- Processing — the worker is converting your file. Progress percentage updates live.
When the status reaches Completed, you get a Download button. When it Fails, you can retry with the same or different settings.
Step 4 — Download
Click Download or find the file in your History later. Output files auto-expire:
- Free: 24 hours
- Pro: 7 days
See Retention for details.
Cancelling
You can cancel a conversion while it's queued or processing. Click Cancel on the Convert card or in History. The worker is told to stop; the job is marked cancelled.
Error scenarios
| Error | Cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| "File too large" | Exceeds your tier's size limit | Upgrade to Pro or compress the file |
| "Malware detected" | ClamAV flagged the file | The file is quarantined and deleted; review the source |
| "Unsupported format" | Source/target pair not in the format matrix | Check Formats for available pairs |
| "Daily limit reached" | You've used all your Free conversions today | Wait for the reset (UTC midnight) or upgrade |
| "Format requires Pro" | You picked a Pro-only target on a Free account | Upgrade or pick a Free-tier target |
| "Conversion failed" | Worker error (transient or permanent) | Retry; if it persists, the error message usually hints at the cause |