Frequently Asked Questions
General
Why did you create Gigaconvert?
This service resulted from the absence of free reliable lossless conversion tool between Linux and Microsoft Office document formats. Subsequently there was a need for other features - fast online conversion of big video files, resuming file uploads for unstable networks and a need for added security and privacy. So we decided to create our own solution.
Is Gigaconvert free?
We provide a free access to our service where you can try most of tools with limited parameters. We do not require sign up in order to use our service, but for use some of our advanced tools and bigger limits, you have to sign up for for a premium account.
Are there any limits to how the service can be used?
It’s strongly prohibited to use our service for any form of infringement or related actions. We do not supervise our customers content because we respect the copyright of our customers and, consequently, we expect others to respect the copyright of other people. The use of our service with the purpose of any unauthorized copying, distribution as well as any other actions of infringement of copyright rights are expressively prohibited. In order to use our service, please, confirm your ownership for the file or your having permission from the legal owner of the file. It is also prohibited to use our service for processing files with DRM (Digital Rights Management) protection.
Can I share my converted files with friends?
No, every uploaded file to our service is bound to your account or in a free tier to your IP only.
I have found an issue, how do I report it?
If you believe you have found a potential issue or vulnerability we want to hear from you. A preffered way is to use our online bug tracking tool where you can see issue resolving workflow and get notified when a status get changed but you can also email us at support@gigaconvert.com. When submitting your request please provide us as much information as possible - an issue description, a list of steps to reproduce, web browser manufacturer and version.
Do you provide tools for offline conversion?
No, but we are currently developing a client app for Android, iOS and PC.
Why am I seeing a 403 Forbidden error?
The download link for the output file in our system is tightly bound to your IP address, that is why there are few cases when you can get 403 Forbidden error while trying to download your result file. If you use our free version of file conversion service, at the time you click on the Download button, you have to have the same IP address that you had when you open the page or started the file conversion. In case you don't have a static IP you may try reload the page and click on the download button again. Your files are preserved upon page reloading, if you didn't disable the cookies in your web browser or clear a cache.
File Conversions
How to perform file conversions?
You can convert files from your computer on Gigaconvert home page by clicking the Choose files button or by dropping files to an upload widget and follow steps which will lead you throught the whole conversion process. You can also convert files previously uploaded from our online File manager. It is also possible to use remote upload if you copy url and enter a link or select files from Google Drive and Dropbox.
Can I convert the same file twice?
You can convert the same file as many times as you want.
I'm having problems opening my converted file after downloading - Can you help?
If you find after your conversion that the file will not open, please ensure you have the correct software in order to open your file. If you have the correct software, and the file still does not open then please report the issue through our online bug tracking system or email us at support@gigaconvert.com attaching the affected file.
I deleted a file that I converted through this site - Can I retrieve it from you?
How many files can I convert at one time?
With our free service you can convert concurrently up to 5 files with a total limit of 20 files in any 24 hour period. However if you signup you can convert up to 1000 files at any one time, with no limits on the total number each day.
How can I convert files held on other websites?
Should you wish to convert files from other websites then please use our remote upload page. Paste the link of the file you wish to convert and follow steps that will lead you through the whole process. It is also possible to convert whole web pages. We also integrated Google Drive and Dropbox cloud services. If you push Google Drive or Dropbox button in our uploader widget, that will redirect you to these services where you can select files for upload.
What are advanced conversion settings?
Advanced conversion settings allow you to change many parameters with effect on output file quality. For example, you can change bitrate, resolution, aspect ratio and other parameters of video file stream or force to use OCR (Optical Character Recognition) when converting images or scanned documents to text.
What is background conversion?
When running file conversion process, you can close your web browser or sign out and download converted file later in our online file manager.
Uploading and Downloading
Why I got an 404 Not Found error page when I tried to retrieve my converted file?
You can convert the same file as many times as you want.
I deleted a file that I converted through this site - Can I retrieve it from you?
You can reuse the generated download link if it is within 24 hours of the conversion, unless you have signed up to one of the conversion plans where you can manage your files as you wish. With a premium account you can repeatedly download converted files directly from our online file manager. Within the free service we would suggest re-converting your file as we delete all files after a 24 hour period.
What can I upload?
You can upload any file in a format supported by our service but you can convert only to file formats marked for write.
Why I am having problems uploading or downloading large files?
During uploading stage, you will see the percentage growing up from 0% to 100%. Depending on your file size, this step may take a long time and this time depends completely on the upload bandwidth of your internet service provider as we do not limit upload or download speed on our side. Unfortunately, we do not have any influence on the uploading stage as the time spent for file uploading depends on the file size and the upload bandwidth of your Internet Service Provider. If you experience unmanageable response levels please email our support team with details of the problem support@gigaconvert.com.
What's the maximum size of files that I can upload?
Currently on the free Gigaconvert service you can upload a maximum of 200 MB per file. If you signup for an account with Gigaconvert though you can upload files up to 25 GB in size depending on your client software. Not all web browsers are able to upload such a big file. If your web browser freezes or crashes, we recommend you use FTP client.
How many times can I download my converted file?
You can download your converted file as many times as you like. Free users have 24 hours before their converted files are deleted from our systems. Gigaconvert account holders do not have such limits.
How many times can I download my converted file?
You can download your converted file as many times as you like. Free users have 24 hours before their converted files are deleted from our systems. Gigaconvert account holders do not have such limits.
Where is my downloaded file?
You specify where you want to download your file to on your computer, we have no default directory to download converted files to. If your web browser does not ask where to save file, check your web browse settings.
File uploading progress stuck on some point and doesn't go forward. What should I do?
If you use the Microsoft Edge web browser, there is a known bug of upload progress reporting in Microsoft Edge. If you are uploading a big file with Microsoft Edge, you may wait if the upload process does not successfully ends eventually. Another reason can be a low upload bandwidth from your ISP. As a last resort, you may turn off any of your web-browser extensions, your firewall and your antivirus software that may block the file uploading.
File Management
How can I search my files?
Within the online file manager we have given you the ability to search for files. The search is based on a wildcard search, therefore any part of the file name you enter will look at all your files and return anything with your search criteria entered. We also implemented a limited support of regular expressions. For example you can use * (asterisk sign) to find a file with zero or more occurrences of the preceding element.
Are my files permanently deleted when I delete?
When you choose to delete files and folders from within a file manager these are permanently deleted from our servers, including backups for security reasons, therefore you are requested to proceed with caution.
How can I convert my already converted files into other formats?
If you wish to convert a file into another format, this can be easily be done by selecting the file and then clicking Convert button on the Action menu. This will then open a new window with the file information pre-filled. You can then select your new format and convert in the usual way.
How many files can I store online?
We do not impose any limit on the maximum number of files you can store and manage through the online file manager. Only restrictions are parameters of the underlying network file system. However the maximum number of items (files + folders) shown in the online file manager is 100. If you exceed this limit paging is applied, in that case you can use generated indexes to browse your files.
Security
Is Gigaconvert secure?
Yes, we take a number of steps to secure your files. Here are a few of the most prominent. All traffic to and from our servers is secured by transport level security (TLS) using 128 bit SSL to encrypt the data sent between your systems and ours from prying eyes. All of our hardware runs in world-class, highly secure data centers utilizing state-of-the art electronic surveillance and multi-factor access control systems.We employ multiple authentication mechanisms to ensure that production systems are accessed only by authorised members of staff and are protected from unauthorised access. For example we use multi-factor authentication devices and whitelisting of specifically allowed IP addresses. We also offer our users the possibility to encrypt their files with special master encryption key.
Is my password secure?
Yes, user passwords are stored in our databases after being salted and hashed using the Bcrypt password hashing function. Despite the fact that Bcrypt is considered to be the current state of the art in password hashing algorithms, your password should still be strong and unique, therefore password strength is checked during sign up process.
Who will have an access to my files?
We do not monitor customer content, also we do not open, edit or review customer files. All data are stored on our own servers with no access of any 3rd party. It is solely you, who choose how your data should be collected, processed and used.
I lost my password, can I retrive it?
Unfortunatelly no. For security reasons we do not implement any mechanism of security questions, reseting passwords and sending one-time passwords through email.
How long does Gigaconvert store my data and files for?
If you have an account with Gigaconvert, we will retain your personal information for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide you with Services that you request (in accordance with our Terms of Service). Once your account is deactivated we will permanently remove any files associated with your account 30 days after deactivation. We may retain certain other personal information (such as your email address) for 18 months after your account is deactivated, unless you delete it or request its deletion. For example, we don't automatically delete inactive user accounts, so unless you ask us to permanently delete your account we will retain some account information to enable you to return and use our Services more easily in future. If you do not have an account with Gigaconvert, We will store any files you submit to us for conversion, and their converted outputs on our systems for no longer than 24 hours following receipt. After this time they are permanently removed from our storage systems. We will retain personal information such as your IP address, email address (if provided by you) and browser details for no longer than 30 days. After this time we permanently delete your browser data and anonymise your IP address and email address (if provided by you) so that we can no longer personally identify you.
How do I delete my file from Gigaconvert?
If you have an account with Gigaconvert you can use the online file manager to permanently remove any files you have converted. Those files will be also deleted from backups. If you are using our free service, files will be automatically deleted 24 hours after creation, possibily you can submit a form here in support section to request the deletion of a file.
Billing
What are the available payment methods for the Gigaconvert service?
Currently you can use PayPal, Visa or Mastercard. We accept both credit and debit cards.
How do I view my payment invoices?
You can view all your Gigaconvert payment invoices by logging into your account and clicking on the My Account link, then scroll down into section Payment History.
When upgrading or cancelling do I need to use the same PayPal address I signed up with?
Yes, If you are cancelling or upgrading your account, you will need to ensure you use the original PayPal address you used on signup. Failure to do this will mean you will not be able to upgrade or cancel. Should you have forgotten your PayPal details, then please contact the Gigaconvert support team at support@gigaconvert.com.
What if I been double-charged?
Usually, duplicated payments got refunded automatically. If this doesn't happen and you believe that you have been double charged, please submit a support request and we will refund your duplicate payment immediately.
How to request a refund?
Generally, we will, upon submitted request, issue a refund for any order that has not been used within 30 days of purchase or that has been used, but all converted files ended up with errors. Even if you fall outside of the refund rules we've described, you can submit a request and we'll take a look at it, before refund request, please well justify your statement.
My payment has been declined by PayPal, what should I do?
In this case, you will get PayPal Declined error message. Your PayPal account has not been charged. If you see that some amounts were blocked on your credit card - they will be unblocked soon. No money would be charged from your credit card or PayPal account. You should contact PayPal and ask them about why they have declined your payment or you may try another payment options.
My payment has been declined by the bank that issued my Credit Card, what should i do?
In this case, you will get one of those error messages: Credit Card Declined (Soft), DECLINED_SOFT, Not authorised, Credit Card Declined DECLINED, Invalid Transaction or Generic Decline errors. You should contact the bank, who issued this Credit Card for you and ask them about this issue. Alternatively, you may try to use another Credit Card or PayPal. Your credit card has not been charged. If you see that some amounts were blocked on your Credit Card - it will be unblocked soon. No money would be charged from your credit card.
My payment has been declined with Credit Card RISK error message, what should I do?
Your payment has failed our billing provider fraud review checks and has been canceled without completion. Often this is due to the country of your IP address doesn't match the country of the bank, who issued the card. You should contact the bank, who issued this Credit Card for you and ask them about this issue. Alternatively, you may try to use another Credit Card or PayPal.
Account Management
Can I use one account on different machines simultaneously?
Yes, you may register a single account, log into it on different machines and use our service from different machines.
How to delete an account?
Should you wish to delete you Gigaconvert account, you can go to your account page and cancel your package. It is worth noting that cancellations happen immediately and you will lose all of your files, so it's worth backing these up before cancelling. If all goes well you will find yourself logged out without an ability to login again.
Can I upgrade my Account?
Yes, just head over to the My Account page and click the button to upgrade to the plan of your choice.
How can I sign up for an account?
Just go to our signup page and choose the account type you wish to use, and hit the signup button. Once you have selected your plan you just need to fill in a few details and pay. We'll then instantly activate your account.
Developers
Do you offer an API?
Yes, we offer an API for Gigaconvert, which allows you to integrate our powerful file conversion capabilities directly into your own applications and services. For more information, please email us at developers@gigaconvert.com.
Can you provide us binaries or source code of conversion libraries?
Yes, our software libraries are dual licensed. For open source projects we provide full unlimited source code for free under GNU GPL v2. For commercial use please email us at developers@gigaconvert.com.