PDF to PDF/A converter

What PDF to PDF/A is for

PDF to PDF/A takes a PDF and gives you PDF/A. Use it when the PDF is only a container and the real work happens in another format.

The input is PDF. The output is PDF/A. Files can be up to 50 MB. No account. Keep the tab open until you can download. Save your own copy — uploads are removed within about an hour.

How to use PDF to PDF/A

If PDF to PDF/A is only one step, the related tools below cover the next one. PDF to Word is the usual start when you need to edit. Word to PDF, Merge PDF, and Compress PDF are the usual finish when you need to send.

1. Stay on the PDF to PDF/A page.
2. Add a PDF file. Drag it onto the box or browse from your device.
3. Click Convert PDF to PDF/A and wait until it finishes.
4. Download the PDF/A file. Check it before you send it.
5. Save your own copy. Uploads are removed within about an hour.

What to expect in the PDF/A file

Digital PDFs convert more faithfully than scans. If you cannot highlight text, run OCR first. After you open the PDF/A file, check tables, hyphenation, and images before you share it.

Related tools next to PDF to PDF/A include Repair PDF, Flatten PDF, PDF metadata, PDF to Word, PDF to Excel, PDF to PowerPoint. Use them for the step before or after this conversion.

Limits and files we accept

Use the file types the picker allows. The size cap is 50 MB. Word, Excel, PowerPoint, PDF, and image jobs are all in the same toolkit — pick the tool that matches the file in your hand.

Password-protected, damaged, or huge scans fail more often than a normal export from Word. Compress, Repair PDF, Unlock PDF, or OCR usually fixes the next try.

If something goes wrong

Work through this list before you assume the tool is down:

• The file is a scan, not text — run OCR.
• The PDF is password-protected — unlock it with a password you know.
• The upload is too large — compress, then retry.
• The PDF is damaged — try Repair PDF.
• Layout looks off — common on newsletters and magazines; check tables and text boxes.

Practical tips

• Prefer a digital PDF file over a photo of a screen.
• Stay under 50 MB, or compress first.
• Open the PDF/A result on your computer before you email it.
• Do not upload files you do not have the right to convert.
• When you are done editing, Word to PDF, Merge PDF, or Compress PDF can prepare the file to send.
• If you cannot select text in the PDF, use OCR or Scan PDF to Word first.

Related workflow

A common path is PDF to Word to edit, then Word to PDF to send. Another is JPG to PDF, then Merge PDF, then Compress PDF for email. OCR belongs first when the PDF is a photo of a page.

PDF to PDF/A is one job. The rest of the toolkit — convert from PDF, convert to PDF, organize pages, compress, protect, and OCR — is there so you can finish the file without starting over.

Need a different format? Stay in the toolkit: PDF to Word to edit, Word to PDF to send, or all PDF tools for merge, compress, Excel, images, and OCR.