How to archive PDFs for the long term

Archiving is about future-proofing. A few choices now keep documents openable and searchable long after the software that made them is gone.

Use durable formats

For records that must last, PDF/A embeds everything needed to render the page and avoids features that may break.

Make them searchable

OCR scans before archiving so future-you can search, not scroll.

Store redundantly

Keep at least two copies in different places, and check them periodically.