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Local-first · Privacy

Protect files locally.

Choose a file, set a password, download the protected file. Your files never leave your device.

Free 10 free protect operations per month
Faster processing is not available in this browser Loclavis still works entirely locally. Larger files may take a little longer.
Learn more

Loclavis normally moves encryption into a web worker, a background process of the browser. Without one, the work runs in the same process as the interface. That changes nothing about the result or the security, but the page may stutter briefly while it runs.

Protect a file

Drag a file here

or to choose a file

Selected files

No files selected yet.

    More password options

    Ready

    100% local file processing Your files are not uploaded.

    Why Loclavis

    A surface that makes privacy effortless instead of complicated.

    How Loclavis works

    Three steps. No account, no installation, no prior knowledge.

    1. Choose a file

      Drag a file into the area above, or pick one through the file dialog.

    2. Set a password

      Type your own password, or have a secure one generated for you.

    3. Download the protected file

      Loclavis encrypts directly in your browser. Then you download the result.

    Your files stay on your device

    Encryption runs entirely in your browser. The file you protect is not uploaded to do it. Your password and the keys derived from it never leave your device either.

    What does happen online: delivering the website itself, and payment through Stripe if you buy Plus. Both are separate from encrypting.

    Local file encryption

    Which files can I protect?

    Loclavis works at the byte level, so it does not depend on particular formats. Typical examples:

    • PDF documents, invoices and contracts
    • Word, Excel, PowerPoint and LibreOffice files
    • Photos and scans such as JPG, PNG, HEIC and TIFF
    • Archives such as ZIP, 7z and tar
    • XML, CSV, JSON and text files
    • Video and audio files
    • And anything else that sits on your device as a file

    Very large files depend on the limits of your browser and your memory. Loclavis processes them in sections so the whole file is never in memory at once.

    Password protected PDF or protected file?

    Loclavis decides this automatically. The difference in one sentence:

    Password protected PDF

    For an ordinary PDF the result is a PDF file the recipient opens in any PDF reader and unlocks with the password. Nothing else is needed.

    Password protect a PDF

    Protected file

    For every other file type the result is a protected file you open again with Loclavis later. The contents and the original filename are encrypted inside it.

    Encrypt a file

    Who is Loclavis for?

    For anyone who occasionally has to send or store a confidential file and does not want to install software for it.

    • Freelancers sending quotes and invoices
    • Small businesses without their own IT department
    • Bookkeeping and tax paperwork
    • Personnel records, contracts and job applications
    • Private documents such as ID scans or medical letters
    • Anyone handing a file over by email or cloud storage

    Loclavis is a tool, not legal advice. Whether a particular measure is sufficient in your case depends on your situation.

    Share files securely