What Is PDF/A and When Do You Need It?
Understand the PDF/A archival format and when to convert your PDFs to it for long-term storage.
Updated July 24, 2026
PDF/A is built to last
PDF/A is a version of PDF designed for long-term archiving. It embeds everything the file needs — fonts, colour information, and structure — so the document still opens and looks the same many years from now, on software that does not exist yet.
When you need PDF/A
Legal, government, and compliance records that must be kept for years.
Academic and institutional archives.
Any document you want to guarantee will open correctly in the future.
How to convert
Upload your PDF to the PDF to PDF/A tool.
Convert it to the PDF/A archival format.
Download and store the archival copy.
Keep both copies
PDF/A files can be larger because everything is embedded. Keep your normal PDF for everyday use and the PDF/A version for the archive.