How to edit a PDF/A file using Adobe Acrobat (that will only open as read-only)

If you are trying to open a PDF file and see this warning:

The file you have opened complies with the PDF/A standard and has been opened read-only to prevent modification.

Then the file cannot be edited or converted; however this quick tip should help resolve this issue.

I am using Adobe Acrobat Pro X in Windows 10, but the same tip should apply to most other versions.

This is achieved very simply by opening Acrobat's preferences, selecting Documents under Categories on the left; then change the PDF/A View Mode drop-down menu to read Never.

This video may use annotations which may not be available on all devices

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Please leave me comments with any feedback, questions, or if you would like to see a particular tutorial or tip.

If you found this video useful please click the thumbs up like icon, thank you.

[Veritas]

Like so many others here, I had been to innumeable, tedious, and ultimately useless vids on how to do this simple but frustrating task. This was short and did the trick. Many thanks, mate.

[staylor]

Thank you for your post. I have been searching the web for this information and yours is the only one I've found that showed me how to get this done.

[richardradcliffe]

I wish there were more people like you out there.

[sirujjan]

Thank you so much! So quick and so EFFICIENT, it works perfectly.

[Lostinspacepup]

Omygosh this was my issue, so glad I found this vid!

[haduong]

Many thanks. The instruction work so well

[lifeisstillrad]

Doesn’t seem to work this way on my iPad 😢 frustrated this am.