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PDF to PDF/A
The archiving standard (ISO). Free, no sign-up.
or drop it here
PDF to PDF/A runs inside your browser — your file never reaches our servers.
How to convert PDF to PDF/A
PDF/A is the ISO standard for documents that must still open correctly decades from now — required by many courts, journals and public archives.
- Select your PDF. Add a title and author if the archive requires them.
- Convert. Archival metadata and an sRGB colour profile are embedded.
- Download. A PDF/A-2B marked document.
What the marking writes into your file
Nothing on the pages is touched — text, images and page geometry pass through as they are. The work happens in the file's catalog. An XMP packet is written declaring PDF/A part 2, conformance level B. An OutputIntent is attached carrying a minimal but valid sRGB ICC profile, built by the tool and embedded in the file, so the colour reference travels with the document instead of being assumed. MarkInfo is set, and a document ID and an instance ID are minted.
Then the fiddly part, and the one most homemade attempts get wrong: PDF/A requires the XMP and the older Info dictionary to agree. The producer, creation date and modification date are written to both from a single value — your file's own creation date, where it has one — and the title and author you type go to both as well. What the tool cannot do is repair the source. It does not embed fonts the original left out and does not flatten transparency, so a PDF whose text assumes the reader has Arial installed still fails a strict checker on that ground.
Mark it last, then validate
Archival marking sits on top of a finished file, so it belongs at the end of the chain. Do the work first: OCR PDF if it is a scan and the archive expects searchable text, Compress PDF if the size is a problem, then any merging or page edits. Rebuilding the document afterwards discards the marking, and even a plain re-save in another program can rewrite the producer and the modification date so they no longer match the XMP — which is exactly what a checker flags.
A password-protected PDF will not load here at all, and PDF/A forbids encryption in any case, so remove the password with Unlock PDF first.
Questions
Is the result guaranteed to pass a compliance checker?
This performs archival marking: identification metadata, an sRGB output intent and synchronised document info. That satisfies most requirements, but full PDF/A conformance also depends on the source file — fonts must be embedded, transparency handled, and so on. Validate with a PDF/A checker before submitting to a legal or institutional archive. We would rather say this plainly than let you find out at the submission deadline.
Which PDF/A version is this — 1b, 2b or 3b?
PDF/A-2B, which is what most archives, journals and courts ask for now. There is no version selector; the only two settings are the title and author written into the metadata. If your submission specifically demands PDF/A-1b, this file identifies itself as part 2 and can be rejected on that alone, so check the requirement before the deadline.
Does it make a scanned document searchable?
No. This is a metadata and structure operation and it does not touch the pages. PDF/A itself does not require a text layer, but most archives want one, so run OCR PDF first and mark the result.
How can I check the file really is PDF/A?
Acrobat Reader shows a banner when a file claims PDF/A conformance, which tells you the marking is present and readable. For the verdict an institution will act on, run the file through veraPDF — free, open source, and the reference checker for the standard.
Are my files uploaded to a server?
No. Every tool on this site runs inside your browser, using the same engine as the Folia desktop app. Your file is read from your disk into your browser’s memory, processed there, and handed back as a download. It never crosses the internet, so there is nothing for us to store, leak or hand over.
Is there a file size limit?
We impose none. The only ceiling is your own device’s memory, which differs from one computer to another — so we read what your browser reports about this machine and show the resulting limit on the page. Light tools like merge and rotate handle far more than heavy ones like OCR, which must render every page. For anything larger, Folia for Desktop has no limit at all.
Is it really free? Do I need an account?
Yes, and no. Every tool is free and unlimited, with no watermark and no sign-up. Ads pay for the site, and your own computer does the work, which costs us nothing. Signing in with a paid Folia plan simply removes the ads.