Your browser is unsupported

We recommend using the latest version of IE11, Edge, Chrome, Firefox or Safari.

PDF/UA Identifier for PDF Accessibility

Ryan Lemke | Posted on January 27, 2026

Hello, AHS faculty and staff. I am Ryan Lemke, the Junior Accessibility Specialist for AHS Marketing and Communications. Each week, I will share tips to make your content more accessible. This week's topic is on PDF/UA identifiers, an accessibility issue we often see in PDFs. The PDF/UA identifier is the final step in PDF accessibility and is required to meet the PDF/UA international standard.

 

What is the PDF/UA standard?

The PDF/UA international standard ensures that a PDF is universally accessible through the use of tagging, alt-text, accessible fonts, logical reading order, etc.

 

What is a PDF/UA identifier?

The final step before completing your accessible PDF is to add a PDF/UA identifier to its metadata, the embedded information within the PDF. The PDF/UA identifier is a marker that claims you have complied with PDF/UA standards. The identifier is deemed a critical issue because you are not compliant with PDF/UA standards until it is added.

Add the PDF/UA identifier to all PDFs, including:

  1. PDFs posted on all UIC/RED websites
  2. PDFs used for course content

 

How to add a PDF/UA identifier in Adobe Acrobat Pro:

 

  1. Request IT to Install Preflight in Adobe Acrobat Pro.
  2. Open your PDF in Adobe Acrobat Pro.
  3. Go to the “All Tools” tab on the top left-hand side.
  4. Scroll down and click “View more.”
  5. Select “Use Print Production.”
  6. Select “Preflight,” and a dialog box will pop up.
  7. Set the drop-down at the top to either “Acrobat Pro DC 2015 Profiles” or “PDF Standards.”
  8. On the “Profiles” tab, click the wrench icon button in the center.
  9. Find the “Document Info and Metadata” drop-down and expand it.
  10. Select “Set PDF/UA-1 entry” and click the wrench button at the bottom of the dialog box labeled “Fix.”
  11. You will be prompted to save your PDF under a new file name.
  12. Type in the new file name and click “Save.” You now have a PDF/UA identifier stored in your PDF's metadata.

You can also watch the video demonstration of adding a PDF/UA identifier to your PDF.

 

Note

AHS is moving away from using PDFs when possible. Always ask yourself whether this document needs to be a PDF or if a living document like Word or Google Docs would work instead.

 

Questions

If you have any questions or require additional support, submit a support ticket.