Convert as guest. Then respect the clock and the slot.
Guest is the default path. Login is for history and paid limits — after a successful download. If you treat guest like a private NAS, the TTL will punish you.
The FREE envelope
50 MB per file. 5 operations per day. 1 concurrent job. Retention on the order of one hour. Plan is enforced server-side. This page is a map, not a bypass.
An “op” is a job that runs. A 30-page raster is still one op. Merge of four PDFs is one op. Staging files without hitting Enter is not an op.
Concurrency is a slot, not a thread pool
One concurrent job means the second file waits. The queue still lists it. Do not open five tabs to dodge the slot — you will hit quota and make a mess of guest session cookies.
PRO and BUSINESS exist to raise throughput and retention. Checkout stays BILLING_NOT_CONFIGURED until keys exist. Convert as guest first anyway. You need to know the product before you pay for more of it.
Expiry
When the row is COMPLETED, download. Guest outputs are not a library. After about an hour the GET dies. Do not write a cron that assumes yesterday’s URL still works.
Create an account if you want history. History is a table of jobs you own, not an infinite object store. Retention still exists on paid plans — it is longer, not forever.
What guest will not save you from
ENGINE_UNAVAILABLE on Office, OCR, or a missing worker. The slug can sit in the catalog while the binary is absent. Read the job error.
AI summarize and document translate are coming soon. Dropzone off. No model calls. They are not a guest feature waiting behind a login.
Passwords: Unlock PDF needs a password you already know. Protect PDF is encrypt-with-a-string-you-store. Fileliq is not a key vault and does not brute-force.
Steps
- Open a live tool. Use /convert or a live slug. Skip AI and stub rows.
- Drop and Enter. Stay under 50 MB. Watch the single FREE slot.
- Download immediately. COMPLETED → D or the download control. Copy the file off the browser.
- Account after success. If you need history or limits, sign up after the first good download — not before you know the output is usable.
FAQ
Do I need an account to convert?
No. Guest works. Account is history and paid limits.
Is the one-hour clock from upload or from COMPLETED?
Treat it as short retention on the stored objects. Download as soon as the row completes. Do not bank on a precise second.
What if I hit 5 ops?
Wait for the daily window or raise the plan. The API will refuse. The UI is not a second quota.