Privacy Policy

This policy takes effect on October 20, 2026. It explains what we collect when you use CodeFormer.io, why we collect it, who helps us run the site, and the choices you have.

The short version

• Your photos are used for one thing: restoring them for you.
• Your photos are private. There is no public gallery, and we never sell your photos or use them to train AI.
• Photos restored without a paid plan are deleted automatically after 30 days. On a paid plan, they stay until you delete them or close your account.
• You can delete any photo yourself at any time, or email us and we'll do it for you.
• We don't sell personal data and we don't show ads.

The rest of this page explains the details.

Who we are

CodeFormer.io ("we", "us") is an online service that restores old and damaged photos. We are responsible for the personal data described on this page (under European law, we are the "data controller"). You can reach us at support@codeformer.io.

CodeFormer.io is an independent website. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or run by the CodeFormer authors, S-Lab or Nanyang Technological University.

What we collect

Photos you upload and the restored results. We store your original photo, the restored image, and the choices you made, such as the output size and any notes you typed.

Visitor details, if you don't sign up. You can restore 1 photo a day without an account. To count that free photo, and to show your photos under "Your photos", we set a small cookie with a random ID. We also store a one-way hash of your IP address: a scrambled code made from it. We can't turn that code back into your IP address.

Account details, if you sign up. Your email address, name and profile picture. If you sign in with Google or GitHub, we receive your name, email address and profile picture from them. We never see your Google or GitHub password.

A free account gets 2 credits a day. To stop people from collecting free credits with many accounts, we give the free daily credits to one account per network per day (for example, one home internet connection). We use the same IP hash for this.

Payment details, if you buy something. Payments are handled by Stripe. We receive your email address, what you bought, the amount and the payment status. Your card number goes straight to Stripe and never reaches our servers.

Technical data. Browser type, device type, pages visited and error logs. We use these to keep the site working and to see which pages are useful.

How we use it

• To restore your photos and show you the results.
• To run your account, your credits and your purchases.
• To apply the free daily limits and stop abuse, bots and fraud.
• To answer your emails and support requests.
• To send important messages about your account, such as receipts or password resets. We don't send marketing emails unless you ask for them.

Our legal bases under the GDPR are: performing our contract with you (restoring photos, running your account), our legitimate interests (security, abuse prevention, basic analytics), your consent where it's required (for example, for optional cookies), and legal obligations (such as keeping tax records).

Your photos

• Your photos are shown only under "Your photos", to the account or the browser that made them. There is no public gallery.
• We never sell your photos, and we never use them to train AI.
• If you start without an account and later sign in on the same browser, the photos you made there move into your account.
• You can delete any photo yourself under "Your photos". It disappears from your list at once, and we delete the original and the restored image from storage right away. The last record of it is erased within a few days.
• Each restored file carries a small note in its metadata (the hidden information inside an image file) saying it was edited with AI. This helps anyone who sees the file later tell a restored copy from an untouched original.

Who processes your data for us

We share data only with the services we need to run CodeFormer.io, and only as much as each one needs:

• Hosting, storage and bot protection. Cloudflare hosts the site, stores your photos and results, and runs the bot check that blocks automated abuse. It receives your photos, your results and technical data.
• AI image processing. An AI image-processing provider restores your photo. It receives the photo and the restoration instructions.
• Payments. Stripe processes payments. It receives your payment and billing details.
• Sign-in. Google and GitHub handle sign-in, only if you choose them. They receive what's needed to confirm who you are.
• Email. Our email provider sends account emails, such as receipts and password resets. It receives your email address.
• Analytics. If we turn analytics on, we use a privacy-friendly service that counts page visits. It receives technical data, such as the pages visited and your browser type, and never your photos.

Some of these providers are based outside the European Economic Area, including in the United States. Where that happens, transfers are covered by appropriate safeguards such as the EU Standard Contractual Clauses.

We may also disclose data if the law requires it, or to protect the rights and safety of our users or our service.

How long we keep it

• Photos and results restored without a paid plan: deleted automatically 30 days after upload. This applies with or without an account.
• Photos and results on a paid plan: kept until you delete them or close your account.
• Photos you delete: removed from storage right away. The last record is erased within a few days.
• Account details: kept while your account is open. When you close it, we delete them within 30 days.
• Payment records: kept as long as tax and accounting law requires (usually up to 10 years).
• Free-limit records (IP hash and visitor ID): the daily counters are deleted within a few days. The copy stored with a photo is deleted along with that photo.

Cookies

We use a small number of cookies:

• Essential cookies keep you signed in, remember your language and your cookie choice, and count the free daily photo for visitors without an account. That last one is the random-ID cookie described above, and it also keeps "Your photos" in that browser. The site doesn't work properly without these cookies.
• A first-visit cookie (kept for 90 days) remembers how you first found us: the website or campaign link you came from, and the page you landed on. This tells us which ones work. It holds no ID, is never shared with other sites, and is linked to your account only if you sign up.
• Analytics, if turned on, help us see which pages people use. Where the law requires it, we ask for your consent first.

We don't use advertising or cross-site tracking cookies.

If you clear your cookies without having an account, "Your photos" will be empty in that browser. The photos are still deleted automatically after 30 days.

Your rights

Wherever you live, you can ask us to:

• Give you a copy of your data.
• Correct data that's wrong.
• Delete your photos, close your account, or delete all your data.
• Stop or limit certain uses of your data.
• Send your data to you in a portable format.

If you're in the EU, the UK or the EEA, these are your rights under the GDPR, and you can also complain to your local data protection authority. If you're in California, you have similar rights under the CCPA. We don't sell or share personal information as those laws define it.

To use any of these rights, or to close your account, email support@codeformer.io from the email address on your account. We reply within 30 days.

Security

Photos and data are sent over encrypted connections (HTTPS). Your photos are listed only for the account or browser that made them. Each photo is stored at a long, random link that isn't listed or indexed anywhere. Treat those links like private links: anyone you share one with can open that image.

No online service is perfectly secure, but we take reasonable steps to protect your data, and we will tell you promptly if a breach affects you.

Children

CodeFormer.io is not meant for children under 16, and we don't knowingly collect their personal data. If you think a child has given us personal data, email us and we'll delete it.

Restoring family photos that show children is fine. Those photos get the same protection as any other upload.

Changes to this policy

If we change this policy, we'll update the date at the top of this page. For important changes, we'll also tell signed-in users by email or on the site before the change takes effect.

Contact

Questions about privacy or your data? Email support@codeformer.io.