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PDF to PDF/A

Convert any PDF to PDF/A-2b or PDF/A-3b for long-term archiving — the format required by public administrations and courts. Runs entirely in your browser.

0 B uploaded to any server

Add a file first.

PDF/A is the archival subset of PDF, and it exists because an ordinary PDF is not self-contained: it can reference fonts the reader is expected to have, run scripts, or point at content elsewhere, and in twenty years those assumptions fail. PDF/A forbids that — everything needed to render the page has to be inside the file. It is what public administrations, courts and digital archives require when a document has to be readable for decades.

Two levels are offered. PDF/A-2b is the standard choice and what most archives ask for. PDF/A-3b gives the same guarantees but also permits embedded attachments, which is why electronic invoices use it: the human-readable page and the machine-readable XML travel as one file. The conversion is best-effort — formal validation is a separate step that no browser can perform, so if a specific archive demands a validation report, produce the file here and validate it with their tool.

How it works

  1. Drop in the PDF.
  2. Choose PDF/A-2b, or PDF/A-3b if the file must carry attachments.
  3. Convert and compare the before-and-after size.
  4. Download the PDF/A file.

What people use it for

  • Filing a document with a public administration that only accepts PDF/A.
  • Archiving records that must still open in twenty years.
  • Producing a PDF/A-3b container for an electronic invoice with its XML inside.

Frequently asked questions

Is my file uploaded to a server?
No. The file is opened by JavaScript and WebAssembly running inside your own browser tab. It is never uploaded, there is no server-side processing and nothing is stored — closing the tab discards everything.
PDF/A-2b or PDF/A-3b?
2b unless you need attachments. Both give the same archival guarantees; 3b additionally allows embedded files, which is what electronic invoicing uses to carry the XML alongside the readable page. If the office did not ask for 3b, use 2b.
It says the conversion engine could not run.
That is about the engine, not your file — the conversion needs Ghostscript, and it could not start. Nothing is wrong with the PDF you supplied. Check your connection and try again.
Is the result formally validated?
No. The conversion is best-effort and most archives accept it, but formal validation — with a tool such as veraPDF — cannot run in a browser. If your recipient requires a validation report, generate the file here and validate it with their tool.
Why did my file get bigger?
Because PDF/A requires everything to be embedded, particularly the fonts. A document that referenced common fonts by name now carries them, and that is the price of a file that still renders identically in twenty years.

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