Free Tool Desk

PDF Compliance & Inspection

Some PDF questions are about what a file contains and claims rather than what it looks like: which files are hidden inside it, whether it declares PDF/A, whether it is tagged for screen readers, whether a signature still matches the document. These tools answer them.

The checks run in your browser and nothing is uploaded, with one exception: the Convert button of the PDF/A Checker & Converter uploads the PDF to our server, converts it with Ghostscript and deletes it afterwards. Files can be up to 50 MB for checking and 20 MB for conversion.

Each tool reports a technical result. None of them certifies PDF/A, WCAG, PDF/UA, EN 301 549 or the legal validity of a signature, and each one says what it did not check.

11 tools · free, no sign-up required

Inspect

See what is embedded in a PDF and save it, or list the fonts it uses and whether they are embedded.

Archive

Read the declared PDF/A level and convert if you must.

Accessibility

A technical preflight of the basics assistive technology needs.

Signatures

Check that a signed PDF is intact and see what its signatures contain.

Forms

Two separate questions about interactive forms: does a filled value show, and will the form elements print?

Text and scans

Why copying text from a PDF breaks, and whether the hidden text of a scan sits on the words.

Before you upload

Check a file against the technical requirements of an upload portal.

Which tool do I need?

  • I want to know what is attached inside a PDF

    Use PDF Attachments Extractor. Lists every embedded file with the type its content really has, and downloads them.

  • A printer or portal complains that fonts are not embedded

    Use PDF Font Checker. Lists every font with type, embedding, subset status and the pages that use it.

  • A portal says my PDF is not PDF/A

    Use PDF/A Checker & Converter. Shows what the file declares and what is missing; converts only if you ask.

  • My printer wants a CMYK PDF and I do not know what mine uses

    Use PDF Colour Space Checker for Print. Lists the RGB, CMYK, gray and spot colours painted, page by page, with output intent. A preflight, not a print-ready promise.

  • I need to publish a PDF accessibly

    Use PDF Accessibility Checker. Checks tags, language, title, alt text, form labels and bookmarks. It is a preflight, not certification.

  • I received a signed PDF and want to know if it was changed

    Use PAdES PDF Signature Inspector. Checks the signed bytes and the signature maths. It does not evaluate trust.

  • A filled PDF form shows empty fields in my browser or on my phone

    Use PDF Form Appearance Checker. Finds fields that hold a value but have no drawing of it, and fields that are hidden or off the page.

  • My PDF form prints with empty boxes

    Use PDF Form Printability Checker. Reads the Print and Hidden flags, appearances, page boundary and layers of every form element.

  • Text I copy from a PDF turns into symbols

    Use PDF Copy-Paste Text Health Checker. Finds the font and the pages where the text mapping is broken and shows what copying gives.

  • Search highlights in my scanned PDF land next to the words

    Use PDF OCR Layer Alignment Checker. Overlays the hidden text on the picture and measures offset and rotation, page by page.

  • A portal keeps rejecting my PDF and I do not know why

    Use Document Upload Preflight Checker. Checks size, formats, pages, paper, password, text layer and resolution against the numbers you enter.

Guides