PDF/A Preparation (Clean-up Only)
This tool does not create PDF/A. It re-saves a PDF with unused objects removed and streams compressed. Convert with a PDF/A tool, then check with veraPDF.
Upload PDF Files
About This Tool
This tool does not produce PDF/A. It re-saves your PDF with unused objects removed, duplicate objects merged and uncompressed streams compressed. It adds no PDF/A identification, no colour profile or output intent, and it does not embed missing fonts, so a file that was not PDF/A before is not PDF/A afterwards.
The page offers PDF/A-1B, 2B and 3B and two options, Embed all fonts and Flatten transparency. None of them is applied in the current version: every file gets the same clean-up whatever you select, and the download is named with _pdfa although it is not PDF/A. You can add up to ten files; they are processed two at a time and can be saved one by one or together as a ZIP.
To make a real PDF/A file, use a dedicated PDF/A converter, such as the PDF/A export in your authoring software or an archiving tool that reports conformance, and choose the part and level your archive asks for. Then check the result with veraPDF, the open-source PDF/A validator from the PDF Association and the Open Preservation Foundation, before the file goes into a records system that expects PDF/A.
The clean-up itself can make a file smaller, as Compress PDF also does by other means. Processing uses a PDF engine (PyMuPDF) that runs in your browser tab, and files are not uploaded.
How to Use
Read the limitation
This page tidies the file structure. It does not convert to PDF/A, and the result will not pass a PDF/A check unless the original already did.
Add PDFs
Drop up to ten PDFs on the upload area. Remove a file from the list with its delete button before you start.
Run the clean-up
Click Convert to PDF/A. The level buttons and the two checkboxes make no difference to the output.
Save, then convert properly
Download each file or use Download All as ZIP. Convert the files with a PDF/A converter and check them with veraPDF.
Use Cases
Tidy a file before conversion
Remove leftover objects and compress streams before handing the file to the PDF/A converter your archive uses.
Shrink a heavily edited file
Files that have been edited many times often carry replaced images and other unused objects; re-saving drops them.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does this tool create PDF/A files?
No. It re-saves the PDF with unused objects removed and streams compressed. It does not add the PDF/A identification, colour profile or font embedding the standard requires, so a file that was not PDF/A before is not PDF/A afterwards.
Do the PDF/A level and font options do anything?
Not in the current version. PDF/A-1B, 2B and 3B, Embed all fonts and Flatten transparency are all ignored, and every file receives the same clean-up.
How do I check whether a file is PDF/A?
Use veraPDF, the open-source PDF/A validator from the PDF Association and the Open Preservation Foundation. A file whose metadata says it is PDF/A can still fail the checks, so test the file itself.
Which PDF/A version should I ask a converter for?
Follow the requirement of your archive or the organisation receiving the file. PDF/A-1 suits older systems, PDF/A-2 adds features such as transparency and layers, and PDF/A-3 also allows embedded files of any type. Level b preserves the visual appearance; level a also requires a tagged, accessible structure.
Are my files uploaded?
No. The PDF engine is downloaded from this site and runs in your browser tab, where the files are processed.