Advanced PDF
Archival PDF
Removes encryption, rebuilds the object structure and linearizes the file for fast, stable long term access.
This tool runs entirely in your browser. Your document is never uploaded.
Drop a PDF to normalise
.PDF · up to 50 MB per file · single file
Files are processed in your browser and never uploaded.
Honest limitation: this is a best effort archival rewrite. Certified PDF/A-2b conversion also requires embedding every font and colour profile, which no browser engine can do — so we do not claim it.
How to prepare a PDF for archiving
Normalise and linearize a PDF for long-term storage and faster first-page display in web viewers.
- 1Upload the PDF.
- 2Run the archival processing step.
- 3Review the reported changes.
- 4Download the normalised document.
Why use Archival PDF
- Cleans up structural inconsistencies left by other software.
- Linearized files start displaying before the whole file downloads.
- Useful before submitting documents to a records system.
- Processing happens locally with a WebAssembly PDF engine.
Privacy and how your file is handled
This tool runs in your browser using JavaScript and WebAssembly. The file you choose is read locally by the page and is not uploaded to PDFSolution servers.
Read more in our security overview and privacy policy.
Archival PDF — frequently asked questions
- Is this a certified PDF/A conversion?
- No. The tool normalises and linearizes the document; it does not run a formal PDF/A validation or embed a conformance claim. For a certified archival conversion you need dedicated compliance software.
- Why linearize a PDF?
- Linearized files are ordered so a browser can render page one while the rest still downloads.
- Will this fix a corrupted file?
- Try Repair PDF for damaged documents; it targets structural recovery.
- Does it change how the pages look?
- No, the visible content is preserved.
- Will the file get smaller?
- Sometimes slightly, as redundant objects are cleaned up, but size reduction is not the goal — use Compress PDF for that.
Related PDF tools
- Repair PDFRecover damaged PDF files.
- Compress PDFReduce PDF file size with selectable levels.
- Protect PDFAdd AES password protection to a PDF.
- Merge PDFCombine several PDFs into one document.
- OCR PDFRecognise text in scanned documents.
Browse the full PDF tools directory or read our PDF guides and how-tos.