Every question, once.
Is Gulag Cleaner really free?+
Yes. Free forever, no account, no page limits and no pro tier. The cleaner is a static site — there's no server cost to justify a subscription.
Do you upload my PDF anywhere?+
No. Your file is read, analyzed and exported entirely inside your browser.
Which platforms does it detect?+
Wuolah and StuDocu have a dedicated method that extracts the original pages embedded in each ad. Any other PDF goes through a generic method that removes full-page ads and banners.
What's the max file size?+
No strict limit. The ceiling is your browser's memory — hundreds of pages run fine on any modern laptop or phone.
Does it strip watermarks from real content pages?+
No, and that's by design. Gulag Cleaner extracts the original pages and discards the ad wrapper. It never modifies the content of an original page.
Is it legal to strip ad pages from a PDF?+
Removing ads from a file on your own device is normal use — the same reason ad blockers are legal. Gulag Cleaner does not rehost or redistribute the document.
Why is it called Gulag Cleaner?+
Because that is exactly what it does: clean PDFs. The engine comes from the open-source gulagcleaner project, which is where the domain name comes from.
Which browsers are supported?+
Any modern Chromium (Chrome, Edge, Brave, Arc), Firefox or Safari from the last three years.
How do I contribute or report a false positive?+
Gulag Cleaner doesn't rewrite pages: it extracts the original ones and, if the result isn't reliable, hands your document back untouched. If a PDF comes out wrong, open an issue on the GitHub repository of the gulagcleaner project, where the engine lives.
Does it work with Spanish university PDFs?+
Yes. Gulag Cleaner was built with student notes downloaded in Spain in mind — Wuolah, university notes and PDFs from sharing platforms.
Can I use it on mobile?+
Yes. It works the same on Android and iOS in any recent browser. Drop the file from your downloads folder and download the clean PDF. Step by step: Gulag Cleaner on mobile.
What if Gulag Cleaner isn't working?+
Check that the file is a PDF without a password, reload the page and try another browser or a private window. If the original project's site is down, this version is independent and runs the same engine. The full list of causes and fixes is in the guide Gulag Cleaner not working.