How to convert PDF to PDF / A for free
You would like to understand how to convert PDF to PDF / A for free from your computer? Then go ahead and read. In fact, below you will find the software for Windows, macOS and Linux that you can use to do so. They are all very easy to use, don't worry.
Convert PDF to PDF / A with LibreOffice
If you have the need to convert PDF to PDF / A, I suggest you resort to using LibreOffice. Haven't you ever heard of it? Very bad, but let's fix it right away!
It is an open source productivity suite and defined by many as the best free alternative to Microsoft Office (which I will tell you about later in the chapter on Word). It is available for Windows, macOS and Linux operating systems and has the advantage of being compatible with all major Office file formats, but above all with PDF and PDF / A, both for reading and writing.
To download LibreOffice on your computer, visit its website and click the button Download version xx. A Mac, you must also click on the button Translated user interface, which allows you to download the translation package to have LibreOffice in town (not necessary for the Windows version of the suite, which is provided directly in cittàn).
When the download is complete, open theexecutable obtained and follow the instructions on the screen to complete the installation of the program. For more details, read my guide on how to download LibreOffice.
Once the installation is complete, proceed to boot LibreOffice on your computer, by selecting the relevant link found in the Start menu Windows or in the Launchpad macOS and, once the main window of the program is displayed, click on the item Open file placed on the left; then select the PDF document you wish to convert to PDF / A and wait for it to be visible on the screen.
Afterward, click on the menu Fillet, at the top left, and select the options Export as e Export to PDF format. In the new window that appears, make sure the tab is selected General (otherwise you can do it yourself), check the box next to the item Archive PDF / A -1a (ISO 19005-1) and press pulsating Export.
Finally, indicate the location where you want to save the file after completing the procedure to convert PDF to PDF / A and press the button Save. Facile, see?
Convert PDF to PDF / A with Acrobat
Another tool you can use to convert PDF to PDF / A on your computer is Adobe Acrobat Pro DC. It is a software from Adobe (the company that developed the PDF format) through which you can view and edit PDF files in various ways. It is available for both Windows and macOS and is paid (has a base cost of € 18,29 / month), but can be tried for free and without limitations for 7 days.
To download and install the program on your computer, visit its website and click on the button Try 7 days. Provide, therefore, to activate the trial by entering the email address of yours Adobe ID in the text field on the left (if you don't have an Adobe account yet, you can create one at the moment, following the instructions on the screen), by clicking on the button Continue, by typing the relative password and providing the requested payment data.
Wait, then, for the software download to be completed and proceed with its installation following the instructions I gave you in my guide on the subject. Next, start the program by selecting the relevant one collegamento present in Start menu Windows or the Launchpad macOS and, once the Adobe Acrobat Pro DC window appears on the screen, open the PDF you want to transform into PDF / A, by first clicking on the menu Fillet, top left, and then on the item apri present in the latter.
Once the file is displayed, select the tab Instruments located at the top, click the button See more, locate the tool PDF standard, click the button in the shape of arrow present below it and choose the item apri from the menu that appears. Then choose the option Save as PDF / A that you find in the right sidebar and, in the new window that appears on the screen, indicate the name and position you want to assign to the output file.
Finally, click on the button Save, to save the final PDF / A. If you want, you can also adjust the PDF / A export settings by clicking on the button beforehand Settings and acting on the parameters present in the new window that appears. For example, you can select a PDF / A conversion profile other than the default one, you can choose to convert all the pages that make up the PDF to images and define their resolution etc.
Convert PDF to PDF / A with Word
To convert PDF to PDF / A you can also use Word, the famous Microsoft word processing program available for both Windows and macOS.
Word is included in the Office package, which is available both in the classic "packaged" version with a one-off purchase and in the subscription version: in the latter case it is called Microsoft 365, has prices starting from 7 euros / month and you can try it for free for 30 days with no obligation to renew. In addition, Word is available as a stand-alone application on the Microsoft Store of Windows 10 at a cost of 135 euros.
To proceed with the download of the trial version of Office, and therefore of Word, go to the Microsoft 365 website, select the link Try free for 1 month that you find in correspondence of the column Microsoft 365 Family, award your bottone Try it free for 1 month and continue according to the instructions I gave you in my guide on how to download Office for free.
Next, start Word, selecting the relevant collegamento that you find in Start menu Windows or the Launchpad of macOS. Once its main window is displayed, open the PDF you want to convert by clicking on the item apri present in the side menu.
When you see the on-screen warning that the file will be converted to an editable Word document, click the button OK. Next, click on the menu Fillet, top left, then on the item Export and his bottone award Create PDF / XPS that you find on the right.
In the further window you see appear, select the item PDF give menu to tendin Save eat, then click on the button options located at the bottom, put a check mark in the box next to the option Compliant with PDF / A and press pulsating OK.
Finally, indicate the location where you want to save the document transformed into PDF / A and the name you want to assign it and click on the button Public, to start exporting.
How to convert PDF to PDF / A online
You don't want or can't download new programs to your computer and would like to see if that's possible convert PDF to PDF / A online? Yes, of course! To do this, just use the appropriate Web services, such as those listed below.
I point out that you can use it not only from computer (from any operating system) but also from smartphones and tablets, through the browser you usually use to browse online from your devices.
DocuPub
A great online tool to convert PDF to PDF / A that you can consider is DocuPub. It is very easy to use and allows you to convert the PDF files that are fed into various formats and to interact with them also by compressing, merging and resizing them. It is free and requires no registration to be employed. The only thing you need to take into account is that it allows you to upload files with a maximum size of 24 MB. Note that it does not provide information regarding the storage and deletion of files following upload.
To use the service, first connect to the relevant home page and select the option PDF / A from the drop-down menu located under the item Output format. Then leave the option set via the drop-down menu unchanged Output Intent and click on the button located under the item Select the File to convert, to select the PDF document you want to convert.
Then, use the drop-down menu located under the item Delivery Method to indicate if, once converted, you intend to download the file directly from the browser window (Wait for browser conversions) or if you prefer that everything be sent to you by e-mail to the email address that you will be asked to specify (Email me a link to the document).
Finally, click on the button Upload & Convert which is located at the bottom and wait for the conversion procedure to be completed. Subsequently, if you had chosen to download the converted document directly from the browser window, click on the link with the file name, while if you had chosen to receive the converted file by email you will receive an email message with DocuPub as sender and containing the instructions for downloading.
iLovePDF
Another great web service you can rely on to convert PDF to PDF / A is iLovePDF. It allows you to work on documents in the format in question in various ways, including by converting them. It costs 6 euros / month.
To use iLovePDF, visit its web page, click on the button Select PDF file and get PDFs from your computer. You can also choose to upload the document from your Google Drive or Dropbox account by clicking on the appropriate buttons. Alternatively, you can drag and drop the PDFs to be merged directly into the browser window.
Next, set the compliance level of the document via the drop-down menu Set the PDF / A compliance level located on the right (if you have no special needs, you can leave the default settings selected) and click on the button Convert to PDF / A.
Then wait for the conversion procedure to be completed, after which the output document will be automatically downloaded to your computer. If this does not happen, you can force the download by pressing the button Download the file. You can also decide to save the final file to Google Drive o dropbox. or share it via URL, simply by clicking on the appropriate buttons.
How to convert PDF to PDF / A