This 2025 I had 108,104 website visitors!

Last year today I started working on this project. It came after years of failures.

Moral of my story: Don’t stop building!

Every “free” file converter online = your files sent to some random server.

So I made an app. Runs locally on Mac, Windows, Linux. Does 3,985 file conversions.

And it's 15% off for Christmas! 🎅

I made a desktop app that converts almost any file to any other file locally.

Crossed 2025 users this 2025!

I was sick of sending my files to sketchy sites on Google.

And sick of looking up how to use command line tools every time I needed to convert a file.

So, I made a drag and drop app that does everything locally. You can learn more at https://howtoconvert.co

21 Updates since I launched a local file conversion app, How to Convert, in February.

It's jumped from 2000 to almost 4000 supported document, video, image, audio and email file conversions. All from feature requests.

And best of all, it runs completely locally as an app on your computer (no more sending your files to random sites on Google).

Let me know if you have any more file type/conversion requests!

I go in cycles of using different task management tools

Now I just use a text file with:

TODO
- [x] fix startup bug
- [ ] add pdf compression feature
- [ ] nice work. get a coffee

Anyone else?

I made https://howtoconvert.co

I was sick of sending my files to sketchy sites on Google.

And sick of looking up how to use command line tools every time I needed to convert a file.

So, I made a drag and drop app that does everything locally.

10 months ago I launched a file converter app from my laptop.

Today people in 77 countries are using it.
🇺🇸 🇬🇧 🇩🇪 🇦🇺 🇨🇦 🇧🇷 🇳🇱 🇫🇷 🇮🇹 🇪🇸 🇲🇽 🇨🇭 and 65 more…

I built this while finishing my PhD, coding in cafes at home in Australia and more recently across England, France, Austria, and Belgium.

No VC funding. No team. Just solving a problem people actually have.

Got my lighthouse website performance score to 100!

Look out competitors on Google!

(Looking at you CloudConvert) 😏

Thank you everyone for supporting my work!

I made https://howtoconvert.co

It’s a universal file converter that performs conversions locally on your device.

There are plenty of file conversion sites, but when you use them, you’re sending your files and data to their servers.

I didn’t like that and I wanted to use local tools with a drag-and-drop app so non-programmers could use it.

I made an app that converts almost any file to any other file locally.

Just crossed my 2050th user!

You can check it out at https://pictiler.com

I made an website to make photomosaics locally on your computer

And it just crossed $200 in sales

Thanks for supporting my little project!

Another article added to How to Convert's "as seen on" section.

And it's a ripper of a review!

If you're a audio or sound engineer, my file conversion app got into a Production Expert post!

You can read it here: https://www.production-expert.com/production-expert-1/we-found-this-cool-machine-based-audio-file-converter

You can test it out at https://pictiler.com

There's heaps of examples you can recreate to understand how it all works. Or make one with your own and stock images

I made a website to make photomosaics locally on your computer

Instead of spending $100s for a print shop to do it, you can make them free

And optionally spend $9 to get a high detail print-ready version when you're happy with it

Australia just enforced its social media ban for under 16s

Good or bad decision? I'm curious what the tech mastoden thinks

https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/australia-social-media-ban-takes-effect-world-first-2025-12-09/

2,000 people are now converting files locally without uploading them to random servers.

When I launched How to Convert 10 months ago, I wasn’t sure if others wanted a locally Swiss Army knife like conversion tool. Turns out a lot of you do.

Everything runs on your machine. Audio, video, images, documents – no file ever leaves your computer.

Here’s the launch video that started it all
https://howtoconvert.co

I just spent the last 2 hours debugging only to realise I was editing and running the dev server in two different folders 😭

What’s the most embarrassing bug you’ve ever got stuck “fixing”? (please make me feel better)

PS5s are now in airports