PDF/A Converter
Re-save a PDF as PDF/A, the ISO-standardized archival format. Embedded fonts, no external dependencies, self-contained — ideal for long-term preservation.
On the way
PDF/A Converter is coming soon
Re-save a PDF as PDF/A, the ISO-standardized archival format. Embedded fonts, no external dependencies, self-contained — ideal for long-term preservation.
We're still building this one. We'd rather not ship it until it works reliably end-to-end — no fake progress bars, no pretend success screens.
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Going deeper
Archiving PDFs for the long term
PDF/A is a specialized PDF profile designed for archival. It forbids features that depend on external resources or future software: no external fonts (everything must be embedded), no JavaScript, no external references, no encryption. The result is a file that should render identically in 50 years, even if the fonts and tools that created it no longer exist.
Government archives, legal systems, libraries and regulated industries use PDF/A because regular PDFs are fragile over long timeframes. A PDF that references a font that's no longer available substitutes a different font and breaks the layout; a PDF with embedded JavaScript breaks if the JS engine that ran it ever changes.
Converting to PDF/A is a one-way lossy operation in the sense that features that don't fit the standard (JavaScript, embedded multimedia, external links) are stripped. For most documents, that's fine — those features weren't doing anything useful anyway. The tradeoff is universal, future-proof rendering.
What you get
Features
PDF/A-2b compliance (most common)
Embeds all fonts and resources
Self-contained, no external dependencies
Coming soon
Step by step
How to use
- 1
Upload the PDF.
- 2
Pick the PDF/A conformance level.
- 3
Click Convert.
- 4
Download the PDF/A file.
Your privacy
How this tool handles your file
When this tool ships, your PDF will be processed in a per-request temp directory and deleted immediately afterwards.
Read more about our security practices or see our privacy policy.
Frequently asked
Common questions
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