PDF → PDF/A
Convert a PDF to the archival PDF/A format for long-term storage.
Free · No sign-up · Files deleted in 1 hour
How to PDF → PDF/A
- Upload your PDFDrag it in or import from Drive / OneDrive.
- Pick the archival levelPDF/A-1b has the widest acceptance, 2b is the usual choice, 3b allows embedded attachments. Fonts are embedded and an sRGB output intent is attached either way.
- DownloadSave the archival PDF/A — processed privately, deleted within the hour.
Convert PDF to PDF/A — Free ISO-Standard Archiving
Convert a PDF to PDF/A, the ISO-standardised format built for long-term archiving. Where an ordinary PDF can depend on fonts or colour profiles that live on the machine that opened it, a PDF/A is self-contained — which is why records offices, courts and funding bodies ask for it.
Dudle re-emits your file as PDF/A-1b, 2b or 3b with Ghostscript: every font is embedded and subsetted into the document, and an sRGB output intent is attached so colours mean the same thing in ten years as they do today. The page content itself is untouched — this changes what the file carries with it, not how it reads.
One thing worth knowing: a converter can quietly hand back an ordinary PDF that merely looks archival, carrying the right metadata without actually conforming. Dudle checks for that and fails loudly instead of handing you a file that would be rejected on deposit. Archiving is free with no account, runs in your browser, accepts PDFs up to 50 MB, and deletes both the upload and the PDF/A an hour later.
- PDF/A-1b, 2b or 3b output — the ISO 19005 archival standard
- Every font embedded and subsetted, so the document renders identically decades from now
- sRGB output intent attached, so colour is reproducible rather than device-dependent
- Rejects a conversion that isn't genuinely conformant instead of returning it silently
- No conformance-level paywall — the archival format, free
- No account; your PDF and its archival copy clear after an hour
Frequently asked questions
What is PDF/A, and how is it different from a regular PDF?
PDF/A is the ISO-standardised version of PDF for long-term preservation. A regular PDF may lean on resources from whatever machine opens it, so a missing font can silently change how it looks; PDF/A forbids that. Everything needed to reproduce the page — fonts, colour definitions — travels inside the file, which is why archives, courts, journals and government bodies ask for it when something is being deposited or filed.
Which PDF/A level does this produce?
Whichever you pick: PDF/A-1b, 2b or 3b. 2b is the default and the level almost every archive and filing system asks for; 1b is the oldest and most widely accepted; 3b additionally allows other files to be attached inside the PDF. All three are free — some converters put the choice of level behind a paid plan.
Can you produce PDF/A-1a, 2a or 3a?
No. The “a” levels require the document to carry accessibility information — a defined reading order, the language of the text, descriptions of images — which has to be built in when the document is written and cannot be recovered from a finished PDF. If you have been asked specifically for an “a” level, it has to come from whatever produced the original document.
Does converting to PDF/A change how my document looks?
No. Text, images and layout come through as they were; what changes is what the file carries with it — fonts get embedded, colour gets pinned to a defined profile, and anything that would break long-term reproduction is normalised.
Is PDF/A conversion free on Dudle?
Yes, with no sign-up and no paid tier for the archival format. Files up to 50 MB are accepted, and both the upload and the converted PDF/A are deleted automatically after an hour.