Privacy statement
This statement explains what thumbnail.ws stores when you use this website and our API, why we store it and for how long. We only keep what we need to run the service; we do not sell your data and we do not show advertising.
Your account
When you sign up we store your name, your e-mail address, your password (only as a secure hash, never readable) and your API key. We use your e-mail address to confirm your account, to send you your API key, and for messages about the service, such as a warning when you reach the limit of your plan. You can stop the occasional news mail with the unsubscribe page or the link in every mail. Your account data is kept as long as you have an account.
Screenshots and API requests
For every screenshot we store the address (URL) of the website, the options you used (width, delay, full page, mobile, format), the time, your IP address and the account that made the request. We use this to make the screenshot, to count your usage against your plan, for the statistics on your account page, and to stop abuse. The details of each request are deleted after 2 months; after that only the number of screenshots per day and per month remains.
The screenshot images themselves are kept for a short time only, so the same request can be answered quickly: at most 2 hours in our cache, and at most 40 hours for images made on our own website. Free screenshots on our homepage are limited per IP address; those IP addresses are deleted after 2 days.
Screenshots are rendered for us by HQAPI. To make a screenshot we send them the URL and the options of your request, nothing else about you.
Payments
Payments for premium accounts are handled by PayPal. We never see your card or bank details. PayPal tells us that you paid; we keep the subscription number with your account, and the payment message from PayPal (with your name and e-mail address at PayPal) for our administration.
Visiting this website
Like every web server, ours logs each visit: the page, the time, your IP address, your browser and the page you came from. These logs are kept for a limited time to keep the site running and secure, and for visitor statistics in which IP addresses are anonymised.
We only use one cookie: the session cookie that keeps you logged in to the members area. It is deleted when you log out or close your browser. We use no tracking or advertising cookies. The fonts of this website are loaded from Google Fonts, so your browser connects to Google for them.
Your rights
You can ask us which data we have about you, ask us to correct it, or to delete your account and the data that belongs to it. Mail us at the address on our contact page.
Last updated on 2026-11-04.