Court PDF Check

Check your PDF before the court rejects it

Pick a court, drop in a PDF, and see which e-filing rules it breaks, with the rule it breaks and how to fix it.

Runs on your device. Files are never uploaded.

Court

PDF to check

Drop a PDF hereor tap to choose a file

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Smith_Declaration_with_Exhibits.pdf

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Courts covered

California Superior CourtsStatewide Cal. Rules of Court; filed through an e-filing service provider Florida state courtsFlorida Courts E-Filing Portal New York State courtsNYSCEF e-filing Texas: Harris County District CourtseFileTexas, Harris County District Clerk Illinois trial courtseFileIL (Electronic Document Standards)U.S. District Court, District of OregonCM/ECF U.S. District Court, Eastern District of North CarolinaCM/ECF NextGen U.S. Bankruptcy Court, District of NevadaCM/ECF U.S. District Court, Central District of CaliforniaCM/ECF NextGen U.S. District Court, Southern District of New YorkCM/ECF NextGen U.S. District Court, Northern District of IllinoisCM/ECF NextGen U.S. District Court, Southern District of TexasCM/ECF NextGen U.S. District Court, Southern District of FloridaCM/ECF NextGen Any court (strict common rules)Not a specific court. Applies the strictest common rules.

Fix common problems

Make a PDF text-searchableRun OCR on scanned pages so the court accepts them.Save a PDF as PDF/AThe archival format New York requires and Florida recommends.Flatten a PDF for filingRemove form fields, comments, layers, scripts and attachments.Shrink a PDF under the size limitCompress scans or split the file to fit the court's cap.Remove PDF passwords and securityCourts reject locked or restricted PDFs.Resize pages to 8½ × 11Fix A4, legal-size and odd pages.

What it checks

File size against the court's limit
Passwords and security settings
Scanned pages without searchable text
PDF/A declaration
JavaScript and launch actions
Files embedded inside the PDF
Audio, video and 3D content
Fillable form fields
Links to outside websites
Comments and highlights
Layers
Bookmarks
Page size (8½ × 11 in)
File name length and characters
One document per PDF

Questions

Is my PDF uploaded anywhere?: No. The checker runs in your browser. Your file is read on your device and never sent to a server.
Is this legal advice?: No. It checks file format against the court's published technical rules. It doesn't review content, deadlines or local practice. Confirm with the clerk or your e-filing provider.
Which courts are covered?: 13 courts so far, plus a strict setting for any other court. See the full list. More are added every month.
Why do scanned PDFs get rejected?: A scan is a picture of text. Most courts require searchable text, which means running OCR. See how to make a PDF searchable.
Does it fully validate PDF/A?: It reads the PDF/A declaration in the file. A dedicated validator such as veraPDF tests every PDF/A rule.