Convert PDF to PDF/A
The version of your document that will still open correctly in twenty years.
- 1Add a PDF.
- 2Convert.
- 3Download the PDF/A-2b file.
Good things start with a file.
Drop PDFs or images here, or choose from your device.
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Add at least two PDFs to merge.
This tool is still in development. You can arrange files locally; nothing is uploaded until it opens.
Files are uploaded over an encrypted, single-use link, processed on our own servers and deleted within one hour.
Need a different tool?
Try “merge”, “JPG to PDF” or “sign”. We list PDF tools we are building, not every format pair.
PDF/A-2b
The most widely accepted archival level. Fonts are embedded, colours get an ICC profile, and features that depend on external resources are removed.
Text untouched
Existing text stays as text. Nothing is rasterised.
Checked on output
The result is validated for PDF/A structure before you download it.
Convert PDF to PDF/A: what to expect
Ordinary PDFs can depend on things outside the file: system fonts, JavaScript, encryption, external links to colour profiles. Over years those dependencies break. PDF/A forbids them, which is why archives, courts and public bodies ask for it.
Conversion embeds every font, assigns an sRGB output intent and strips forbidden features. For most documents this is lossless and invisible. Transparency in older PDFs is flattened, and fonts that cannot be embedded for licensing reasons are substituted.
PDF/A-2b guarantees visual reproduction, not accessibility. If you need tagged structure for screen readers (PDF/A-2a), that requires a source document with proper tags and is a different workflow.
Questions, answered
- Which PDF/A level do I get?
- PDF/A-2b (ISO 19005-2, level B).
- Does it change how the document looks?
- Usually not. Transparency may be flattened and non-embeddable fonts substituted.
- Are scans accepted?
- Yes. If you also want them searchable, use OCR PDF, which outputs PDF/A too.
- Is the file validated?
- Structure is checked on output. For legal submissions, run the file through the receiving body’s validator as well.
- Can PDF/A be converted back?
- It is still a PDF. All other tools work on it.