May 12, 2026 · Convert To PDF/A
How To Convert A PDF To PDF/A For Long-Term Archiving
Regular PDFs depend on the fonts your system has installed, the JavaScript engine in your viewer, and external links that may stop resolving. Open one in 2050 and parts of it may not render the same as they do today.
Convert To PDF/A produces an archive-safe variant. Fonts are embedded. JavaScript is removed. External dependencies are stripped. The file will look the same decades from now.
What PDF/A Is
PDF/A is an ISO-standard subset of PDF designed for long-term preservation. The key rules: fonts must be embedded (so the file renders even if the original font is gone), JavaScript is banned (so the file can't run code that depends on outside conditions), transparency is restricted, and external references are not allowed.
Archivists, government agencies, and legal records systems mandate PDF/A for documents that must remain readable indefinitely. If a system asks for "PDF/A-2b", that's what we produce.
What Variant
We convert to PDF/A-2b. This is the most widely supported and least restrictive of the modern archival profiles. It's accepted by every system that requires PDF/A and is the right default unless you've been told to use a different variant.
Older PDF/A-1 is more restrictive but rarely required today. Newer PDF/A-3 allows embedded files (like the source XML for an invoice) and is sometimes mandated for e-invoicing.
Will My File Look Different
Usually no. The visual appearance is preserved. Some interactive elements - JavaScript actions, certain form behaviors, external hyperlinks - are stripped or rendered inert to meet the standard.
Embedded multimedia and transparency that doesn't comply with the spec are either flattened or removed. For the vast majority of documents this is invisible.
How To Convert
Drop your PDF into Convert To PDF/A. Click. The file is processed on a Lambda worker running Ghostscript with archival flags set. Download the result and hand it to legal, archive, or government systems that require PDF/A.
Future-proof a PDF with Convert To PDF/A. Free up to 3 conversions per day.