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PDF/A Validator Online Free — PrivaTools

TL;DR: Upload a PDF and find out whether it conforms to PDF/A archival standards — failure reasons listed.

Validate PDF/A compliance online for free. Run basic PDF/A indicator checks to verify your document meets long-term archiving standards. Free tool, no software needed.

PDF/A Validator runs on the same privacy-first stack as every PrivaTools utility: files enter an isolated Docker container, are processed in temporary memory, and are unlinked the moment your download begins. No account, no watermark, no daily quota.

How to PDF/A Validator with PrivaTools

  1. Upload a PDF — Drop a PDF up to 500 MB to check whether it conforms to PDF/A archive standards.
  2. PrivaTools runs a conformance check — Tests against PDF/A-1, PDF/A-2, and PDF/A-3 requirements: embedded fonts, color profiles, no JavaScript, no encryption, no external references.
  3. Read the validation report — Either 'compliant' with the highest PDF/A level achieved, or a list of specific violations preventing compliance.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is PDF/A and why does it matter?

PDF/A is an ISO standard for long-term archival. It requires self-contained PDFs (all fonts embedded, no external scripts, no encryption) so the document will render identically in 50 years.

What's the difference between PDF/A-1, A-2, A-3?

A-1 is the strictest (no transparency, no XFA forms). A-2 adds transparency, JPEG 2000, and PDF attachments. A-3 allows arbitrary file attachments — useful for invoice + machine-readable data bundles.

If it's not PDF/A, can I convert it?

Yes — use the PDF to PDF/A tool which fixes the most common issues automatically (font embedding, color profile attachment).

Last reviewed 2026-05-01 by the PrivaTools maintainers. Source code on (MIT-licensed, self-hostable).

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