PDF/A
Real conversion to PDF/A-2b, checked rule by rule on your device.
PDF/A converts a PDF to PDF/A-2b for archiving: it embeds every missing font, adds an sRGB output intent, removes what the standard forbids, and checks the result against our published PDF/A-2b rule list on your device before it claims conformance. DeviceCMYK artwork is reported rather than converted.
PDF/A-2b is an archival profile: a file that still opens and looks the same years from now, without depending on fonts or resources from outside it. This tool converts towards it for real — embedding fonts, adding an sRGB output intent, and removing the features the standard forbids — then checks the result rule by rule before it says anything about conformance. PDF/A is one of UnboundPDF's 53 free browser-based PDF and image tools: it runs on your own device with no upload, no account and no watermark, and reports what it measured on the output.
How to use PDF/A — steps & common uses
What people use PDF/A for
Anyone archiving a document for the long term — meeting a submission requirement for the self-contained PDF/A format.
- Meet an archival PDF/A requirement
- Prepare a document for long-term storage
- Submit to a records system
- Standardise a file for archiving
How to use PDF/A
- Add your PDF; the metadata is written on your device without uploading.
- Review the note on what this does and does not change.
- Click Convert to PDF/A-2b to embed fonts, add the output intent and remove disqualifiers.
- Read the per-rule report, then download.
Good to know: Converts to PDF/A-2b on your device: embeds every missing font, adds an sRGB output intent, removes what the standard forbids, and checks the result against our published PDF/A-2b rule list before it claims conformance. DeviceCMYK artwork is reported rather than converted.
Questions about PDF/A 6
Are my files uploaded to a server?
No. UnboundPDF processes PDFs locally in the browser — documents are not uploaded to a server. We have no backend that receives, stores, or scans your files.
Does this make my file fully PDF/A compliant?
It does the real work: every font that is not already embedded is replaced with a metric-compatible face and embedded as a subset with a Unicode map, an sRGB output intent is added, and the features PDF/A forbids — scripts, launch and multimedia actions, attachments, encryption, image interpolation — are removed. The file is then re-read and checked against our published PDF/A-2b rule list, and the conformance claim is written only if every rule passes. Two things it will not do: DeviceCMYK artwork is reported rather than converted, and a composite (CID) font with no embedded font program — most often a Chinese, Japanese or Korean document — is refused by name rather than substituted. In both cases you still get the file, without a claim, and with the exact rule that stopped it.
How can I confirm true archival compliance?
Our rule list is ours: it is published in the result panel, rule by rule, and it is finite. It is not an accredited PDF/A validator, and a file that passes it is not certified. Where an archive requires certification, validate the downloaded file with an accredited validator such as veraPDF as well.
What is PDF/A for?
It is an archival profile designed so a document still opens and looks the same years from now, without relying on external fonts or resources.
Does converting change how my document looks?
No. The visible pages are preserved; the conversion adds the archival metadata and profile without re-rendering your content.
When do I need PDF/A?
Usually when a court, library, government or records system requires it for submissions or long-term storage.
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How your files are handled
The work runs on your own device, inside the browser tab — so there is no server to send your document to.
- Nothing is uploaded. We have no backend that receives or stores documents, so we cannot see your files during processing or after.
- Your device does the work. Large documents are handled in stages, pages are rendered as you reach them, and each job is checked against your device before it starts — so a long run takes longer on a phone than on a laptop, nothing is queued behind other people's jobs, and you can stop a run at any point without touching your original file.
- No account and no watermark. The output is a clean file you can use anywhere, with no sign-up and no hourly cap.
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Other free PDF utilities that work the same way — in your browser, no sign-up.