PDF to PDF/A

Convert PDFs into ISO-standard PDF/A archives — the format regulators, courts and archives require. Free with clearly published fair-use limits — no sign-up, no watermarks.

Drop your PDF files here

or click to browse — Select multiple files for batch conversion

pdf

☁️ Server conversion — your file is uploaded securely (HTTPS), converted, and removed from temporary processing storage after the request finishes. Which tools upload, and which do not

🔍 How your file is processed

Runs: On our conversion server (HTTPS upload)
Engine: Gotenberg PDF engines on our server convert to ISO PDF/A (1b/2b/3b)
Max input: 50 MB per file
Fair use: Up to 30 conversions per 10 minutes per visitor
Your file: Uploaded over HTTPS to our conversion server, held in memory only while the job runs (never written to our application disk), and streamed straight back. The conversion engine (Gotenberg) removes its per-job working files as soon as each conversion completes — its documented behaviour — and no job data is retained between conversions.
Good to know: PDF/A forbids some features (encryption, external references); they are removed or embedded as the standard requires.

Full security & file-privacy details →

Related converters

How to convert a PDF to PDF/A

Click Choose files (or drag & drop) and select one or more PDF files. You can also paste an image from your clipboard.
Pick the PDF/A level — 2b is the safe default most authorities accept; 1b is the strictest legacy profile; 3b allows embedded attachments.
Press Convert to PDF. Each file is converted with a live progress indicator.
Open the download page to save your files individually or grab everything as a single ZIP.

Why archive as PDF/A?

Ordinary PDFs can depend on external fonts and features that may not exist decades from now. PDF/A is the ISO archival profile: fonts embedded, self-contained, guaranteed to render identically in the far future — which is why tax authorities, courts, registers and archives demand it. Choose 1b, 2b or 3b and the conversion engine on our server produces a compliant file, then deletes your upload immediately.

What this tool preserves — and what it changes

✓ Preserved

Page count and page order — the document is re-profiled, not reorganized
Long-term rendering: what PDF/A requires embedded gets embedded, so the file displays identically decades from now
Your original file: the archival copy downloads as yourfile-pdfa.pdf, so it never overwrites the source name

↺ Changed

Features PDF/A forbids are removed or embedded as the standard requires — encryption and external references are the classic cases
The file gains the ISO archival profile you pick — 1b, 2b or 3b — with PDF/A-2b preselected as the safe default most authorities accept
The PDF is uploaded over HTTPS and converted by the Gotenberg PDF engines on our server; it is held in memory only on our side, and the engine removes its per-job working files as soon as the conversion completes

Known limits & edge cases

Encrypted PDFs cannot become PDF/A (the standard forbids encryption) — the inspection card flags a detected password as soon as the file is added; unlock the file first
PDF/A-1b is the strictest, oldest profile — it even forbids transparency — so pick it only when a recipient explicitly requires it; 3b exists for e-invoice-style embedded attachments
This route accepts only .pdf input — Word or Excel files headed for an archive go through their own to-PDF tool first

Engine: Gotenberg PDF engines on our server convert to ISO PDF/A (1b/2b/3b). These statements describe the engine as shipped on 2026-10-02 — behaviour changes are recorded in the changelog.

About the formats

What is a PDF file?

PDF is the universal document format: it locks layout, fonts and images so a file looks identical on every device and printer. Scans, invoices, forms, e-books and reports all travel as PDF. Because a PDF is a container rather than an image, turning its pages into JPG or PNG pictures — or bundling pictures into a PDF — are among the most common file tasks there are.

The version of your PDF that outlives software

Ordinary PDFs can lean on things that vanish — fonts installed on your machine, external resources, encryption. PDF/A forbids all of that: every font embedded, every color defined, everything self-contained, which is why archives, courts, universities and government portals require it for long-term submission. This tool converts your PDF to a compliant PDF/A on our server and validates the result.

Level guide in one breath: 2b is the safe modern default most authorities accept; 1b is the strictest legacy profile for systems that demand the original standard; 3b additionally permits embedded attachments (a machine-readable invoice inside its own PDF, for instance). If a portal names a level, match it exactly — if it just says “PDF/A,” 2b is almost always the right answer.

Frequently asked questions

Is this PDF to PDF/A tool free?

Yes — there is no sign-up, payment or watermark. Server-processed tools use the published file-size, duration and fair-use limits so jobs remain available to everyone; those are technical safeguards, not a paid tier.

Can I convert multiple PDF files at once?

Yes. Select or drop as many files as you like — each one is converted in sequence with its own progress status, and you can download the results individually or all together as a ZIP archive.

Is my file uploaded to a server?

Yes — this tool needs a full office engine, so your file is sent to our server over an encrypted (HTTPS) connection, converted there, and deleted immediately after the PDF is delivered. It is never read for any other purpose, never shared, and never stored. Files up to 50 MB are accepted.

Which PDF/A level should I choose?

PDF/A-2b is the safe default and what most authorities accept. PDF/A-1b is the oldest, strictest profile (no transparency) — pick it only when explicitly required. PDF/A-3b additionally allows embedded attachments, used e.g. for e-invoices that carry machine-readable data.