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BlogHow it works

PDF to PDF/A Converter

Turn an ordinary PDF into a PDF/A file that will open and look the same decades from now: every font embedded, one color profile attached, and nothing left that depends on the viewer or the internet.

PDF to PDF/A

or drop PDF files here ·

Max 95 MB per file· Up to 20 files· Deleted after 30 minutes

PDF/A level

Files are processed on our servers and deleted after 30 minutes.

How to use this tool

  1. 1

    Upload the PDFs

    Add up to 20 PDFs of up to 95 MB each. Remove any password first, since PDF/A does not allow encryption.

  2. 2

    Choose the level

    Convert to starts at PDF/A-2b. Pick 1b only when a portal names it, 2u when text must be searchable Unicode, 3b when attachments must stay.

  3. 3

    Convert and validate

    Press Convert to PDF/A-2b and download. For a second opinion, open the result in a validator such as veraPDF before you submit it.

Answer

What does converting PDF to PDF/A actually change?

Fonts get embedded, colors get a defined profile, metadata is rewritten as XMP, and anything forbidden is removed: JavaScript, encryption, external content and, for PDF/A-1, transparency. The pages look the same; the file stops depending on its surroundings.

What a PDF to PDF/A conversion does to your file

PDF/A is ISO 19005, a family of restricted profiles of ordinary PDF. Part 1 (2005) is built on PDF 1.4, parts 2 (2011) and 3 (2012) on PDF 1.7, and part 4 (2020) on PDF 2.0. Each part bans the features that could make a file render differently later and requires everything needed for rendering to live inside the file. A converter therefore does two jobs: it adds what is missing and removes what is forbidden.

Typical changes during conversion
ElementOrdinary PDFAfter conversion
FontsMay be referenced, not embeddedEmbedded; subsets allowed
ColorDevice colors, no profileOne output profile: sRGB, FOGRA39, SWOP or Gray
JavaScript and actionsAllowedRemoved
EncryptionAllowedNot allowed
TransparencyAllowedFlattened in 1b; kept in 2b, 2u, 3b
Embedded filesAny fileNone in 1b; PDF/A only in 2b, 2u; any file in 3b
Audio, video, 3DAllowedRemoved
MetadataInfo dictionaryXMP with the PDF/A identification

PDF/A-1b, 2b, 2u or 3b: which conformance level to choose

The letter after the part number is the conformance level. Level b (basic) guarantees the visual appearance. Level u adds the guarantee that every character maps to Unicode, so text can be searched and copied reliably; that is why scans need Make scans searchable on for 2u. Level a (accessible) also demands a tagged structure, which cannot be reliably invented for an untagged PDF, so the converter offers the b and u levels.

PDF/A-2b is the sensible default. It allows transparency, layers and JPEG 2000, so modern files convert with fewer changes, and most systems that take PDF/A accept part 2. Choose 1b only when a portal names part 1, and 3b when the PDF carries an attachment that must stay, such as the XML inside a Factur-X or ZUGFeRD e-invoice. Which courts, archives and universities set these rules is covered on the PDF/A converter page.

Validate PDF/A with veraPDF before you submit

  1. Convert

    Fonts embedded, profile attached, forbidden content removed.

  2. Check

    Run Check only here, or open the file in veraPDF, the open-source validator from the PDF Association and the Open Preservation Foundation.

  3. Submit

    Upload the validated file as it is, without re-saving it in another editor.

Re-saving can quietly break PDF/A

An ordinary editor may add forbidden features or drop the PDF/A identification when it saves, and the file stops conforming without any warning. Make every edit first, convert last, and do not run the result through a compressor that is not PDF/A-aware.

PDF to PDF/A questions

Will my PDF look different after converting to PDF/A?

Usually not. Visible changes show up in edge cases: a font that cannot be embedded is replaced, or, with Rasterise problem pages on, that page becomes an image; in PDF/A-1b, soft shadows and transparent edges are flattened. Compare a few pages before submitting.

Why were the scripts in my form removed?

Scripts can change what a document shows when it opens, which defeats the point of an archive, so every PDF/A part forbids JavaScript. Calculation and validation scripts are dropped, while the values currently in the fields stay.

Can a password-protected PDF become PDF/A?

Not while it is encrypted, because PDF/A forbids encryption of any kind, permission passwords included. Remove protection with unlock PDF using the password you have, then convert.

Is veraPDF the only way to validate PDF/A?

No. veraPDF is free and open source, which makes it the common reference, and Acrobat Pro has a Preflight check with PDF/A profiles. Many portals also run their own validator on upload; if it disagrees with veraPDF, the portal's check is the one that decides.

Does converting to PDF/A make a scanned PDF searchable?

Only if you turn on Make scans searchable, which adds an invisible OCR text layer. Without it a scan converts to PDF/A-2b as page images. If you need a searchable file that does not have to be PDF/A, use OCR PDF.