Convert Word to PDF/A Online — Archival Compliance
Transform Word documents to ISO 19005-2 compliant PDF/A for long-term preservation.
Drop up to 50 Word files at once — no install, no sign-up required.
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How it works
- 1 · Drop your files
Drag & drop or choose Word files (DOC, DOCX, DOCM, DOT, DOTX, DOTM). No account required—paid plans unlock bigger batches, higher limits, and priority queues.
- 2 · We convert to PDF/A
Processed on our dedicated servers. Encrypted in transit & at rest. ISO 19005-2 (PDF/A-2b) compliant output with embedded fonts and color profiles for long-term preservation.
- 3 · Download & auto-delete
Get archival-ready PDF/A files ready for legal, government, and compliance use. Files delete automatically after 1 hour. Delete anytime after downloading with one click.
Microsoft Word documents come in two formats: DOCX (Office Open XML, 2007+) and DOC (legacy binary, 1997-2003). DOCX is the modern standard, storing content as compressed XML files inside a ZIP container. It's more compact, less prone to corruption, and easier for third-party applications to parse. DOC is the older binary format, primarily encountered in legacy documents created before 2007.
Learn more: Office Open XML on Wikipedia
Both formats support rich text formatting, styles, tables, images, headers/footers, and change tracking. For final distribution, archival, or cross-platform compatibility, converting to PDF ensures the document appears exactly as intended regardless of the viewer's software or operating system.
PDF/A is an ISO-standardized subset of PDF specifically designed for long-term archival and preservation. Unlike standard PDF, PDF/A prohibits features that could degrade over time—no external dependencies, fonts must be embedded, encryption is forbidden, and all content must be self-contained. The standard ensures documents remain readable and visually consistent decades into the future, making it mandatory for legal archives, government records, and regulatory compliance.
Authoritative reference: ISO 19005-1 (PDF/A-1)
PDF/A is required by many organizations for record retention, legal filings, and regulatory submissions. If archival permanence matters more than file size or advanced features, PDF/A is the correct choice.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is PDF/A and why should I use it?
PDF/A (ISO 19005) is an archival variant of PDF designed for long-term preservation of documents. Unlike standard PDF, PDF/A:
- Embeds all fonts (no external dependencies)
- Includes ICC color profiles for consistent color reproduction
- Prohibits encryption and password protection
- Disallows external references and JavaScript
- Requires XMP metadata
Use PDF/A for legal contracts, government records, medical documents, and any files that must remain readable for decades.
What's the difference between PDF and PDF/A?
Standard PDF (use our Word to PDF converter):
- Smaller file sizes
- Supports encryption and password protection
- Great for everyday documents, emails, presentations
PDF/A (this converter):
- Larger files (all fonts fully embedded)
- ISO 19005 archival compliance
- Required for legal, government, and compliance documents
- Guaranteed readability for 50+ years
What's the difference between DOC and DOCX?
DOCX (Office Open XML, 2007+) is the modern Word format — smaller files, less corruption risk, and better compatibility. DOC (binary, 1997-2003) is the legacy format found in older documents.
This converter handles both seamlessly. For dedicated converters, use our DOCX to PDF/A converter or DOC to PDF/A converter.
Which PDF/A version do you produce?
We generate PDF/A-2b (ISO 19005-2, Level B) documents. This version:
- Supports JPEG 2000 compression for smaller files
- Allows transparency (unlike PDF/A-1)
- Includes embedded files capability
- Level B ensures visual appearance preservation
PDF/A-2b is widely accepted by courts, government agencies, and archival institutions worldwide.
Can password-protected Word files be converted to PDF/A?
No. The PDF/A standard explicitly prohibits encryption to ensure documents remain accessible indefinitely. Password-protected Word files cannot be converted to PDF/A because the output cannot be encrypted.
Remove password protection before uploading. If you need an encrypted PDF, use our standard Word to PDF converter instead.
Are all fonts embedded in PDF/A output?
Yes, always. PDF/A requires all fonts to be fully embedded (not just used characters). This ensures:
- Documents display identically on any device
- No external font dependencies
- Guaranteed rendering 50+ years from now
- Compliance with archival requirements
Note: This increases file size compared to standard PDF, but is required for archival compliance.
What are the limits for this converter?
| Tier | Max File Size | Max Files/Batch | Parallel Processing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Guest/Free | 50 MB | 50 files | 3 at once |
| Pro | 1024 MB | 1000 files | 6 at once |
Note: File size limits are specific to this converter. Batch and parallel processing limits apply to all documents converters site-wide. See all converter limits →
How are credits calculated for this conversion?
Cost: 1 credit per 5 MB
How it works:
- Files up to 5 MB: 1 credit
- 6-10 MB: 2 credits
- 11-15 MB: 3 credits
- 16-20 MB: 4 credits
Example: A 5 MB document = 1 credit. A 95 MB document = 19 credits.
Why per-megabyte? Larger files require more resources (processing, bandwidth, storage).
What are my daily and monthly credit limits?
Credit allocations vary by account tier:
| Tier | Daily Limit | Monthly Limit |
|---|---|---|
| Guest | 100 credits/day | — |
| Free | 100 credits/day | — |
| Pro | — | 12,000 credits/month |
Daily credits (Guest & Free tiers) reset every day at midnight UTC. Monthly credits (Pro) reset on your billing cycle date.
Note: With 1 credit per 5 MB, a typical document costs 1 credit. Pro users can convert 12000 documents per month.
Answers at a Glance
Quick answers to common questions.
- Are my files secure?
- How long do you keep my files?
- What metadata do you keep?
- What happens after I drop a file?
- Why are conversions so fast?
- How do you measure performance?
- What are the exact limits for each plan?
- Can I process files in bulk?
- Why did my file fail to convert?
- Do you use my files to train AI?
What's New in Word to PDF/A
Latest improvements to this converter
Initial release of unified Word to PDF/A converter. Supports both DOC and DOCX formats with PDF/A-2b archival compliance, embedded fonts, and color profiles.
Need to get more done? Pro starts from $5.
No subscription required.