FAQ
Is Orifold really free? Yes — Orifold is free and open source under the Apache License 2.0, with no subscription, paywall, or feature gate.
Does anything ever get uploaded? Your documents do not. Import, editing, OCR, compression, encryption, translation, and export run on your Mac. Orifold can make narrow outbound requests for user-authorized updates and timestamp-candidate requests, while macOS may download an Apple language model before the first translation. A timestamp request sends only a SHA-256 hash of the signature, never the PDF or its text; current builds do not embed the returned candidate. See Privacy & local-first design.
Can Orifold translate a PDF offline? On macOS 15 or later, Orifold can translate selected text or the current page with Apple’s on-device Translation framework. macOS may download the target language model once; after it is installed, translation runs on this Mac. The result is read-only and never changes the PDF. See Translate text.
Can Orifold open CBZ comic-book archives?
Yes. Orifold can import a .cbz directly, sort image filenames naturally, and convert each image into a PDF page without extracting files to disk. See Import files.
Is there a Windows or iPad version? Not currently — Orifold is a native macOS app requiring macOS 14 or later.
Can I recover a lost password on a protected PDF? No. Orifold uses real AES-256 encryption; there’s no backdoor or recovery path. Store your password somewhere safe.
Can Orifold apply a real digital signature, or just a drawn mark?
Both. Draw, Type, or Initials place a visual mark; the Digital method applies a verifiable cryptographic signature (PAdES B-B, SHA-256) using a Digital ID from a .p12 file, your Keychain, or a self-signed ID — all on your Mac. The optional timestamp setting currently requests a candidate token but warns and exports B-B without embedding or marking it. A self-signed ID shows as “identity not verified” in other viewers until trusted; use a CA-issued ID when recipients must verify automatically. See Sign documents.
How do I turn off Gami or Ori’s tips, or hide them completely? Click the companion chip and choose Hide Gami Tips to keep it visible but quiet, or use Show Orifold Buddy in the app menu to hide it entirely. See Meet Gami & Ori.
Why does macOS warn about an unidentified developer? Release builds are ad-hoc signed but not notarized. Right-click the app and choose Open once to clear it. See Installation problems.
Can I contribute? Yes — see Contributing. Bug reports and feature requests are welcome in Issues.
How is this free — what’s the catch? No catch. It’s Apache 2.0-licensed and built in public; there’s no paid tier hiding behind it.