Is the ChangeThisFile Claude connector free?

Format conversion is free with no account. Compress-to-size is free with a daily limit. Translation ($4.99) and table extraction ($3.99) run immediately, show a free preview, and only charge if you download the full result.

Do I need a ChangeThisFile account?

No. No signup, no API key, no OAuth. Even paid jobs check out as a guest through Stripe.

Can Claude translate a Word document without breaking the layout?

Yes. Translation rewrites only the text inside DOCX, PPTX, and XLSX files, so layout, tables, images, and styling stay intact and the file remains editable. PDFs are translated via an editable rebuild.

What's the file size limit?

25MB for free conversions on the connector path, 50MB for translation, 20MB for table extraction, 100MB for compression. Larger files can go through the authenticated API.

How to Convert Files in Claude (Official Connector Guide)

Q: What happens to my files after a job?

Inputs, previews, and unpaid outputs are deleted within 24 hours. Paid outputs are kept 7 days so you can re-download them. Files are never used for model training.

Q: Does it work in Claude Code or Cursor?

Yes — it's a standard MCP server. Claude Code: claude mcp add --transport http changethisfile https://changethisfile.com/mcp. Cursor and Claude Desktop can use the stdio bridge from GitHub.

Claude can read almost any file you give it — but until recently it couldn't hand you back a changed file. Ask it to turn a HEIC into a JPG or translate a Word document and you'd get instructions, not results.

That gap is now closed. ChangeThisFile is listed in the official Claude connectors directory, which means any Claude user can wire up real file conversion in one click — no account, no API key, no OAuth. This guide covers setup, everything the connector can do, and what it costs (mostly: nothing).

TL;DR

Install: one click from the Claude connectors directory, or Settings → Connectors → Add custom connector → https://changethisfile.com/mcp
Convert: 690+ format routes, free, files up to 25MB
Translate: DOCX/PPTX/XLSX/PDF with layout intact — free preview, $4.99 to download
Tables → Excel: from any PDF or screenshot — free preview, $3.99 to download
Compress to exact size: free with a daily limit

Set it up (60 seconds)

From the directory (easiest): open the ChangeThisFile listing in the Claude directory and click Connect. Done.

Manually, in claude.ai: Settings → Connectors → Add custom connector → paste https://changethisfile.com/mcp.

In Claude Code:

claude mcp add --transport http changethisfile https://changethisfile.com/mcp

There is no signup step. The connector needs no API key and asks for no permissions beyond the tools it exposes.

What you can ask Claude to do

Once connected, these all work in plain language, in any conversation:

"Convert this HEIC to JPG" — or any of 690+ routes across images, video, audio, documents, spreadsheets, data files, fonts, ebooks, and archives
"Translate this contract to Spanish — keep the formatting" — DOCX, PPTX, and XLSX are translated in place so layout, tables, and images survive; PDFs are rebuilt as editable documents
"Pull every table out of this PDF into Excel" — including tables in scanned pages and screenshots
"Compress this video to under 25MB so I can email it" — an exact byte target, honestly refused with the smallest achievable size if it can't be hit
"What can you convert a WEBP into?" — enumerates every supported route

Claude picks the right tool automatically. If you ask for something the connector can't do yet, it says so honestly instead of failing silently.

What it costs

Format conversion is free — that's the core of the product and it stays free. Compressing to an exact size is also free with a daily limit.

Two jobs are paid because they run on heavier machinery: document translation ($4.99 per file) and table extraction to Excel ($3.99 per file). Both run immediately and show you a free preview of the result in the chat — the first translated pages, the first extracted table — before asking for anything. If the preview looks right, a one-time Stripe checkout unlocks the full download. No subscription, no account.

Processing several files? A 10-job pack is $19.99 — $2 per file instead of $5.

Where your files go

Client-side conversion isn't possible inside Claude, so connector jobs run on ChangeThisFile's servers over an encrypted connection. Retention is deliberately short: inputs, previews, and unpaid outputs are deleted within 24 hours; paid outputs are kept 7 days so you can re-download. Files are never used to train models and are never shared.

Beyond claude.ai

The connector is a standard MCP server, so the same endpoint works in Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Cursor, and any MCP-capable agent. Skills-capable agents can also install the file-conversion skill, which uses the MCP tools when connected and falls back to plain HTTPS otherwise. Full setup for every client is in the MCP server docs.

The fastest way to try it: add ChangeThisFile from the Claude directory, attach any file to a conversation, and say what you want done. If you'd rather use it outside Claude, the web converter and API run on the same engines.

How to Convert Files in Claude