Skip the Installs: 5 Browser Tools That Handle Occasional Desktop Jobs

Some desktop programs sit on your machine for jobs that come up only twice a year, and a browser tab can usually do those jobs instead. For quick image edits there’s Photopea. iLovePDF takes care of everyday PDF work, and PairDrop moves files between your phone and PC. CloudConvert deals with unusual file formats, and diagrams.net draws flowcharts. Below we explain what each one does, how to use it, and when an installed app is still the better option.

Which jobs suit a browser tool

Browser tools are best for short jobs you do now and then, where you don’t need tight integration with the desktop. Examples include a five-minute photo fix, joining two PDFs, or sending one file to your phone.

Installed software still wins for tools you use every day. It also wins for jobs that need serious performance, automation or reliable offline access. The apps to remove are the ones you installed for one small task and then didn’t touch for six months.

Edit images and PSD files in Photopea instead of GIMP

Photopea is an image editor that runs in your browser. It covers the occasional jobs that might be the only reason GIMP is still installed. You can remove an object from a photo, tidy up a scan, add text on its own layer, or open a PSD file someone sent you.

It supports:

• Layers, masks and smart objects
• Layer styles and adjustment layers
• Selections
• PSD files and a long list of formats from other design apps

The interface follows the general Photoshop layout. If you’ve used a traditional desktop editor, you’ll usually find the tool you need quickly.

Photopea doesn’t upload your files. It processes them on your own device. The editor runs locally and can use your computer’s CPU and GPU, so you can open a screenshot or a work file without worrying about where it ends up.

1. Open Photopea in your browser.
2. Load the image or PSD file you want to work on.
3. Make your edit with the layer, mask or selection tools.
4. Save or export the result, then close the tab.

Merge, split and compress PDFs with iLovePDF instead of Acrobat

Most PDF chores are smaller than what a full editor like Adobe Acrobat is built for. You might need to pull out three pages, combine two files, or compress a scan. You might need to fix the page rotation. Or you might need OCR (optical character recognition, which turns a scanned image into selectable text) on a badly photographed document.

iLovePDF covers most of those jobs:

• Merging and splitting PDF files
• Converting documents
• Compressing PDFs
• Rotating pages
• Running OCR on scans

Many of the basic tasks are free. Paid plans add higher limits and extra features.

Unlike Photopea, iLovePDF needs you to upload your files so it can process them. The company says uploads are encrypted in transit and deleted from its servers automatically within two hours. That’s acceptable for plenty of routine documents.

Keep sensitive files off it. Some documents should never leave your machine. These include unredacted financial documents, medical records and confidential contracts. Use a local PDF tool for them. A website being easy to use doesn’t mean every document should be uploaded to it.

Send files between your phone and PC with PairDrop

PairDrop sends a file from one device to another through the browser. You don’t need a USB cable or cloud storage. It works on Android, Windows, macOS, iOS and Linux, so any mix of devices is fine.

1. Open the PairDrop site on both devices.
2. On the device that’s sending, choose the device you want to send to.
3. Pick the file and send it.

Transfers use WebRTC, a browser technology that connects two devices directly, so the file doesn’t have to be uploaded and then downloaded. If the network won’t allow a direct connection, PairDrop can fall back to a TURN relay, a server that passes the data between the two devices.

If your devices can’t see each other

Restrictive guest Wi-Fi, and networks that keep devices isolated from each other, can block discovery. PairDrop grew out of the Snapdrop idea. For these situations it adds device pairing, temporary rooms and public rooms, plus its relay support. If local discovery fails, try pairing the two devices or using a room.

You can also host PairDrop yourself if you want the same workflow under your own control.

Convert odd file formats with CloudConvert

Every so often you’ll get an audio file, ebook, font, image, document or video in a format your app won’t open. CloudConvert supports more than 200 formats. That saves you installing a small single-purpose converter you’ll never use again.

For deliberate video transcoding, a desktop tool such as VidCoder or HandBrake is still the better fit. That’s the kind of job where you want control over codecs, quality, presets, queues and output settings. CloudConvert is for the odd stray file.

The free tier has these limits:

• 10 conversion credits per day
• 1 GB maximum file size
• Five-minute processing limit

That’s enough for occasional conversions, but not for converting a whole video library.

The conversion runs on CloudConvert’s servers. The company says transfers are encrypted and each job runs in an isolated container. It also says uploaded files are kept only as long as processing needs them and are then deleted. If you’d rather not send files to someone else’s servers, try a self-hosted converter such as ConvertX. It keeps much of the browser workflow while the processing runs on hardware you control.

Draw flowcharts and diagrams with diagrams.net instead of Visio

If you only make diagrams occasionally, a paid diagramming subscription is hard to justify. diagrams.net, formerly known as draw.io, covers most of what people use Visio for. It needs no account and no subscription.

You can use it for flowcharts, rough network diagrams, process maps and architecture sketches. It includes:

• Snap-to-grid tools and connectors
• A large shape library
• Icon sets for platforms and vendors such as AWS, Azure and Cisco

1. Open diagrams.net in your browser.
2. Build your diagram from the shape library and connectors.
3. Save the editable copy in the native .drawio format, either locally or wherever you prefer.
4. Export the finished diagram as PNG, SVG or PDF.

Once the editor has loaded, it keeps running even if your internet connection drops. A lost Wi-Fi signal won’t cost you the diagram you’re working on.

Frequently asked questions

Does Photopea upload my images to a server?

No. Photopea processes files on your own device and runs locally using your computer’s CPU and GPU.

Is iLovePDF safe for private documents?

The company says files are encrypted in transit and removed from its servers within two hours, which is fine for routine documents. For financial, medical or confidential files, use a local PDF tool instead.

What are CloudConvert’s free limits?

The free tier gives you 10 conversion credits per day, a 1 GB maximum file size and a five-minute processing limit.

Does diagrams.net work offline?

Yes. Once the browser editor has loaded, it keeps working if your connection drops. You can also save diagrams locally instead of to an online account.