Terms of Service

The rules and guidelines for using Z Tools. Plain English where we can, legal where we have to.

Last Updated: June 14, 2026

These terms were last reviewed on June 14, 2026. Material changes are listed in our change log and, when significant, announced on the homepage. If you continue using Z Tools after a change takes effect, you accept the new terms.

1. Acceptance of Terms

By accessing and using Z Tools ("the Service"), you accept and agree to be bound by these Terms of Service. If you do not agree to any part of these terms, please do not use the Service. These terms apply to all visitors, users, and others who access or use the Service, whether as a guest or a registered user (note: Z Tools does not currently offer user accounts).

2. Description of Service

Z Tools provides free online utilities including but not limited to QR Code generation and scanning, password generation, JSON formatting and validation, image compression, Base64 encoding and decoding, and Markdown conversion. The Service is provided "as is" and "as available," without warranties of any kind. We reserve the right to add, modify, suspend, or discontinue any tool or feature at any time without prior notice. Where possible, we will announce material changes in our guides or via a banner on the homepage.

3. Acceptable Use

You agree not to use the Service to:

  • Upload, transmit, or process any content that is illegal under the laws of your jurisdiction, the laws of the People's Republic of China (where the Service is operated), or international law
  • Upload content that infringes the intellectual property, privacy, or other rights of any third party
  • Upload content that is malicious, including viruses, malware, ransomware, or code designed to exploit other users
  • Interfere with or disrupt the integrity or performance of the Service, including attempts to bypass rate limits, security headers, or CSRF protection
  • Attempt to gain unauthorized access to the Service, its related systems, or any other user's data
  • Use automated scripts, bots, scrapers, or crawlers to access or interact with the Service in a manner that exceeds normal browser usage, except with our prior written consent (search engine crawlers are welcome within the limits set by our robots.txt)
  • Use the Service to facilitate harassment, fraud, phishing, doxxing, or any activity intended to harm another person
  • Resell, sublicense, or commercially redistribute the output of the Service as a paid product without our written permission

4. Intellectual Property

The Service and its original content (including the design, source code, articles, guides, illustrations, logos, and trademarks) are owned by Z Tools and protected by international copyright, trademark, and other intellectual property laws. You may view and use the Service for personal or internal commercial purposes. You may not reproduce, distribute, modify, create derivative works of, or publicly display any part of the Service or its content without our prior written consent, except as permitted by applicable copyright law (for example, brief quotations with attribution).

Third-party libraries used by the Service (QRCode.js, jsQR, Marked.js, html2canvas, html2pdf.js, and others) are governed by their own open-source licenses, which we list on our About page. Output generated by you through the Service (for example, a QR code image or a formatted JSON document) is yours to use however you like.

5. User-Generated Content and Uploads

Z Tools does not host user-generated content in the social sense (no comments, no forums, no public profiles). The only user submissions are transient: files uploaded for server-side processing (currently only the Image Compressor tool) and contact-form messages. Uploaded files are stored with cryptographically random filenames, automatically deleted after 5 minutes, and never accessible to other users. Contact-form submissions are retained up to 24 months as described in our Privacy Policy. By uploading a file, you confirm that you have the legal right to do so and that the content is not illegal, infringing, or malicious.

6. Disclaimer of Warranties

The Service is provided on an "AS IS" and "AS AVAILABLE" basis. Z Tools makes no warranties, expressed or implied, regarding the accuracy, reliability, completeness, security, or availability of the Service. We do not guarantee that the Service will be uninterrupted, error-free, or free of harmful components, or that defects will be corrected. Use of the Service is at your own risk. Nothing on this site constitutes professional advice (legal, medical, financial, or otherwise); the tools are general-purpose utilities and should not be relied on for decisions that require professional judgment.

7. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, in no event shall Z Tools, its founder, its affiliates, or its contributors be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, exemplary, or punitive damages arising out of or relating to your use of, or inability to use, the Service. This includes damages for loss of profits, data, goodwill, business opportunity, or any other intangible loss, even if we have been advised of the possibility of such damages. Our total aggregate liability for any claim arising from these terms or your use of the Service shall not exceed the greater of (a) the amount you have paid us for the Service in the twelve months preceding the claim, or (b) one hundred US dollars (USD $100). Because the Service is free, in practice this liability cap is usually zero.

8. Indemnification

You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless Z Tools and its founder from and against any third-party claims, damages, liabilities, costs, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising out of (a) your use of the Service, (b) your violation of these Terms, (c) your violation of any third party's rights, or (d) any content you upload, generate, or transmit through the Service.

9. Termination

We may suspend or terminate your access to the Service at any time, with or without notice, for conduct that violates these Terms or is otherwise harmful to other users, us, or third parties. Since Z Tools does not maintain user accounts, termination in practice means blocking your IP address or network range from accessing the Service. You may stop using the Service at any time; there is no exit procedure because there is no account to delete.

10. Governing Law and Dispute Resolution

These Terms are governed by the laws of the People's Republic of China, without regard to its conflict-of-laws principles. Any dispute arising out of or relating to these Terms or the Service shall first be addressed through good-faith informal negotiation by emailing [email protected] with the subject line "Terms dispute." If we cannot resolve the dispute informally within 60 days, the dispute shall be submitted to the Hangzhou Internet Court (杭州互联网法院), which has jurisdiction over online service disputes originating in the jurisdiction where the Service is operated.

11. DMCA and Copyright Complaints

If you believe that content hosted on or linked from Z Tools infringes your copyright, send a written DMCA notice to [email protected] with the subject line "DMCA Notice." Your notice must include: (a) identification of the copyrighted work claimed to have been infringed, (b) identification of the allegedly infringing material with enough detail for us to locate it (URL is best), (c) your contact information (name, address, telephone, email), (d) a statement that you have a good-faith belief that the use is not authorized, (e) a statement, made under penalty of perjury, that the above information is accurate and that you are the copyright owner or authorized to act on the owner's behalf, and (f) your physical or electronic signature. We will process valid notices within 7 business days.

12. Changes to These Terms

We reserve the right to modify these Terms of Service at any time. Material changes will be highlighted on the homepage for at least 30 days after the change takes effect, and the "Last Updated" date at the top of this page will be updated. Your continued use of the Service after a change constitutes acceptance of the new terms. If you do not agree to a change, your only remedy is to stop using the Service.

13. Severability and Assignment

If any provision of these Terms is held to be invalid or unenforceable by a court of competent jurisdiction, that provision shall be enforced to the maximum extent permitted by law and the remaining provisions shall remain in full force and effect. You may not assign or transfer your rights or obligations under these Terms without our written consent. We may assign these Terms to any successor entity in connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, and will notify users of any such assignment via the homepage.

14. Contact for Legal Notices

All legal notices, DMCA complaints, and formal correspondence regarding these Terms should be sent to [email protected] with the appropriate subject line (e.g., "DMCA Notice," "Terms dispute," "Privacy request"). We aim to acknowledge legal notices within 7 business days. Because Z Tools is a one-person operation, response times for legal matters may be longer than for ordinary support inquiries; we appreciate your patience.