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PDF to PDF/A — Real Archival Conversion, in Your Browser
Convert PDFs to PDF/A — the ISO standard for long-term document archiving used by governments, libraries and enterprises. If an institution ever asked you for an “archival PDF”, this is what they meant. The conversion runs the Ghostscript engine inside your browser: fonts embedded, colors standardized, and your file never leaves your device. Free, no sign-up.
How PDF to PDF/A works
Add your PDF — click Select files or drop it onto the dashed area. Nothing is uploaded.
Click Convert to PDF/A. The Ghostscript engine loads once (about 16 MB), then converts your file on your device.
Fonts are embedded, colors are converted to the sRGB archival profile, and anything PDF/A forbids — encryption, JavaScript, external files — is removed.
Download your PDF/A-2b file. The result card shows the page count and the size before and after conversion.
Why use PDFZippy for this
Real PDF/A-2b output — produced by Ghostscript, the open-source engine professional converters rely on, using a conversion profile validated against veraPDF, the reference PDF/A checker
Private by design — everything runs on your device; there is no upload and no server copy of your file, ever
Fonts embedded automatically — your document renders identically on any machine, decades from now
Honest about limits — the output level is always PDF/A-2b, stated up front, not hidden in fine print
100% free: no sign-up, no watermark
Good to know
PDF/A-2b only. This tool does not produce PDF/A-1b or PDF/A-3b. If whoever archives your document named a specific level, check it is 2b before converting.
Appearance stays, colors standardize. Layout, text and images stay in place, but colors are converted to sRGB — CMYK or strongly saturated colors can shift slightly, and fonts are substituted with a close look-alike only if one cannot be embedded.
Password-protected files can't be converted. PDF/A forbids encryption outright. Remove the password first with Unlock PDF (for files you own), then convert the unlocked copy.
Big files deserve a computer. The engine is a one-time download of about 16 MB and conversion is real work — a large PDF on a phone can take a while. Desktops handle big files faster.
Keep your original too. PDF/A is the copy you archive; keep the ordinary PDF as your everyday, editable version.
The engine — open source, running on your device
Conversion is powered by Ghostscript, compiled to WebAssembly so it can run inside a browser tab with no server involved. Ghostscript is free software under the AGPL: engine source at ArtifexSoftware/ghostpdl, WebAssembly build at okathira/ghostpdl-wasm. The conversion follows Ghostscript's documented PDF/A recipe, and this exact pipeline's output was validated with veraPDF before the tool went live.
Frequently asked questions
What is PDF/A and why would I need it?
PDF/A is an ISO-standardized version of PDF designed to stay readable for decades: every font embedded, no encryption, no external dependencies. Governments, courts, libraries and companies require it for long-term archiving.
Which PDF/A level does this converter make?
PDF/A-2b — the widely accepted modern level for archiving (the “b” stands for basic visual fidelity). If an archive specifically requires PDF/A-1b or PDF/A-3b, this tool does not produce those levels.
Is my PDF uploaded to a server?
No. Conversion runs 100% in your browser using the Ghostscript engine compiled to WebAssembly. Your file is processed on your own device and never leaves it. The engine files (about 16 MB) download once from this website and are then cached by your browser.
Will my PDF look different after conversion?
Almost always identical. Fonts are embedded — a close look-alike is substituted only when a font cannot be embedded — and colors are converted to sRGB, which can shift CMYK or strongly saturated colors slightly. Pages, text and images stay in place.
Can I convert a password-protected PDF?
Not directly — PDF/A files are never allowed to be encrypted. Remove the password first with our Unlock PDF tool (for files you own), then convert the unlocked copy.
Can I just rename a .pdf file to .pdfa?
No — a file extension does not create compliance. Real PDF/A requires embedded fonts, a standardized color profile, specific metadata and a verifiable structure, which is what this converter produces.
Is PDF to PDF/A free?
Yes — completely free, no account, no watermark. Conversion runs on your device, so there are no server costs to pass on.