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AI to PDF Converter – Convert Adobe Illustrator AI Files to PDF Free Online
🎨 Adobe Illustrator Converter  ·  No Software Needed

Convert AI Files
to PDF Instantly

Upload any Adobe Illustrator .ai file and extract the embedded PDF layer directly in your browser — zero quality loss, live preview, instant download. No Illustrator required.

100%
Free Forever
👁️
Live PDF Preview
0
Files Sent to Server
⚡
Instant Extraction

🎨 AI to PDF Converter — Start Here

Adobe Illustrator files (version 9 and later) contain a full embedded PDF layer. This tool extracts it in a single click — no conversion, no quality loss, no rasterisation.

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How AI to PDF Extraction Works
Since Adobe Illustrator version 9 (released in 2000), every .ai file contains a fully embedded PDF compatibility layer. This tool scans the binary file for the embedded %PDF- marker, extracts the native PDF bytes, and downloads them — preserving all vector artwork, fonts, and layers at 100% quality with no re-encoding or rasterisation.
🎨 Upload Adobe Illustrator File
How It Works

Native PDF Extraction
— Zero Quality Loss

No re-rendering, no rasterisation, no compression artefacts. The extracted PDF is the same native vector data Adobe Illustrator embedded when the file was saved.

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Binary %PDF- Scanner
The tool reads the .ai file as a binary ArrayBuffer and scans for the %PDF- signature byte sequence that marks the start of the embedded PDF layer.
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Lossless Extraction
PDF bytes are sliced from the binary file exactly as Illustrator wrote them — no re-encoding, no rasterisation. All vector paths, fonts, and embedded images are preserved identically.
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Live Preview in Browser
The extracted PDF is loaded into a sandboxed iframe using a Blob URL, letting you preview every page of the artwork before downloading.
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PDF & AI Version Detection
The tool reads the PDF version string and scans the PostScript preamble for the Illustrator version that created the file, showing both in the stats panel.
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Page Count Detection
The extracted PDF bytes are scanned for the /Count field in the Pages dictionary to show how many pages the artwork contains.
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Size Comparison
Shows the original .ai file size versus the extracted PDF size so you can see how much space the AI-specific metadata overhead was taking.
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100% Private
Your .ai file is read entirely in your browser. It is never sent to any server. The extraction and download happen locally on your device.
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No Illustrator Required
Extract and download a perfect PDF from any modern .ai file without opening Adobe Illustrator or any other design software.
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Works on Any Device
Fully responsive design works on desktop, tablet, and mobile. Convert AI files to PDF from any modern browser, anywhere.
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Instant Performance
Because there is no network round-trip and no re-rendering, extraction completes in under a second for files up to several hundred megabytes.
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No Sign-Up Required
No account, no email address, no tracking pixel, no watermark on your downloads. Open the page, drop a file, get a PDF.
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Dark Mode Ready
The interface automatically adapts to your system colour scheme using prefers-color-scheme, with a polished dark theme for late-night work.
Simple Process

Convert AI to PDF in 3 Steps

From Illustrator file to downloadable PDF in seconds — no design software needed.

1
Upload Your .ai File
Drag and drop or click to browse your Adobe Illustrator .ai file. The tool immediately scans the file for an embedded PDF layer.
2
Preview the Artwork
The extracted PDF renders in a live preview iframe. Check the version info, page count, and file size before downloading.
3
Download the PDF
Click Extract & Download PDF. The native vector PDF saves to your device instantly — no quality loss, no rasterisation.
File Format Deep Dive

What Is an Adobe Illustrator
.AI File, Really?

Understanding the internal structure of an .ai file is the key to lossless conversion.

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Hybrid PostScript Format
A modern .ai file is a hybrid container. It begins with a PostScript-style header containing metadata such as the creator application, creation date, bounding box, and colour space, then transitions into a fully valid PDF document body. This is why every modern .ai file is technically also a valid PDF.
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Three Layers of Data
A typical .ai file contains three logical layers: a PostScript preamble (legacy header for old applications), a complete PDF document (for cross-application compatibility), and Adobe's private AI editing data (live effects, undo history, type-on-path data, gradient mesh control points).
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PDF Compatibility Setting
When you save an .ai file in Illustrator, the "Create PDF Compatible File" checkbox is on by default. This is what writes the embedded PDF layer. If a designer unchecked it before saving, the resulting file will not be browser-convertible.
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Vector Geometry
All artwork in the PDF layer is stored as resolution-independent vector geometry — Bézier curves, paths, and shapes. That is why the extracted PDF can be scaled to billboard size or shrunk to a business card with no quality loss.
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Embedded Fonts
Fonts used in the artwork are typically embedded as subsets inside the PDF stream, meaning the text remains crisp, selectable, and reflowable in the extracted PDF — even on machines that do not have the original fonts installed.
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Embedded Raster Images
Raster images placed in Illustrator (photos, textures, scans) are embedded inside the PDF stream as JPEG, Flate, or LZW-compressed binary objects, preserving their original resolution and colour profile.
Use Cases

Who Needs to Convert
AI Files to PDF?

Adobe Illustrator files are common in many workflows, but PDFs are universally readable. Here are the most common scenarios.

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Print Production
Print shops, offset printers, and prepress operators frequently need PDF files for output. Most professional printers prefer PDF/X-1a or PDF/X-4 over native .ai files.
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Client Approval
Sending a PDF instead of an .ai file lets clients preview the artwork without owning Illustrator, comment with sticky notes in Acrobat, and approve faster.
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Editorial & Publishing
Magazine layouts, book interiors, and newspaper inserts all flow into InDesign and final-output PDFs. Converting AI logos and graphics to PDF keeps the pipeline consistent.
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Document Archiving
PDF/A is the ISO standard for long-term document archiving. Converting AI source files to PDF future-proofs your archives against Illustrator version drift.
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Students & Teachers
Submitting design coursework as PDFs ensures professors can open the file without owning Adobe Creative Cloud, and that the artwork looks identical to the student's screen.
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Office Workflows
Marketing departments often receive logos and brand assets as .ai files. Converting them to PDF lets non-designers drop them into Word, PowerPoint, and email signatures.
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Web Hosting
PDFs can be hosted on any website and viewed directly in a browser. AI files cannot. Converting before upload makes assets immediately accessible to visitors.
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Legal & Contract Docs
Stamp designs, letterhead, and signature artwork stored as .ai often need to be flattened into the final legal PDF. Extracting the PDF layer is the cleanest way to do this.
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Stock & Marketplace Sellers
Designers selling on Creative Market, Envato, or Etsy can deliver both .ai (editable) and .pdf (universal) versions of their products from a single source file.
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Collaborating with Non-Designers
Project managers, copywriters, and other stakeholders rarely have Illustrator. PDFs let them view, annotate, and approve creative work without owning the software.
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Presentation Embedding
Vector graphics often need to be embedded into Keynote, PowerPoint, or Google Slides. PDF is the most reliable vector-preserving format these tools support.
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Scientific Figures
Journal submissions typically require vector PDFs for figures and charts. Researchers who work in Illustrator can extract publication-ready PDFs in one click.
Format Comparison

.AI vs .PDF — Side-by-Side

Both formats can store vector artwork, but they serve very different audiences. Here is how they compare in practice.

Property 🎨 .AI (Illustrator) 📄 .PDF (Portable Document)
Vector graphics✓ Full✓ Full
Live editing in Illustrator✓ Native~ Limited
Universal compatibility✗ Adobe only✓ Every device
Opens in a web browser✗ No✓ Yes
Editable text & fonts✓ Native✓ Preserved
Multi-page support~ Artboards✓ True pages
Embedded raster images✓ Supported✓ Supported
Live effects / undo history✓ Preserved✗ Flattened
File size (same artwork)Larger (metadata)Smaller
Print industry standard~ Workflow✓ PDF/X-1a, X-4
Long-term archiving~ Version drift✓ PDF/A standard
Searchable text✓ Yes✓ Yes
Password protection✗ No✓ Yes
Digital signatures✗ No✓ Yes
Form fields✗ No✓ Yes
Best forSource designSharing & printing
Technical Specifications

Under the Hood —
How Extraction Works

A look at the exact bytes, signatures, and parsing logic the tool uses to find and extract the embedded PDF.

🔍 Binary Signatures

  • PDF Start%PDF- (0x25 50 44 46 2D)
  • PDF End%%EOF (0x25 25 45 4F 46)
  • AI Header%!PS-Adobe-...
  • Creator Tag%%Creator: Adobe Illustrator
  • Version Tag%AI{N} (e.g. %AI11)

📋 Supported Inputs

  • Extension.ai
  • MIME typesapplication/postscript, application/illustrator
  • Min AI version9 (year 2000)
  • Max file sizeBrowser memory limit
  • PDF compatibility flagMust be ON when saved

📤 Output Format

  • Output extension.pdf
  • MIME typeapplication/pdf
  • PDF version1.3 – 1.7 (from source)
  • EncodingUntouched (byte-for-byte)
  • CompressionOriginal (Flate, LZW, JPEG)

🌐 Browser Requirements

  • FileReader APIRequired
  • Blob APIRequired
  • ArrayBuffer / Uint8ArrayRequired
  • URL.createObjectURLRequired
  • Inline PDF viewerRecommended for preview

⚙️ Parsing Logic

  • Step 1Read full file as ArrayBuffer
  • Step 2Forward-scan for %PDF-
  • Step 3Read 3 bytes for version
  • Step 4Reverse-scan for last %%EOF
  • Step 5Slice byte range
  • Step 6Create Blob + Object URL

🛡️ Privacy Model

  • Server uploadsNone
  • Analytics on fileNone
  • TelemetryNone
  • Persistent storageNone
  • Required cookiesNone
Brief History

A Short History of the
.AI File Format

From its 1987 PostScript origins to today's PDF-hybrid container, the .ai format has evolved alongside the entire history of digital design.

1987
Adobe Illustrator 1.0 ships on Macintosh
The very first version stores artwork as plain PostScript, a text-based page description language invented by Adobe itself. Files are literally human-readable when opened in a text editor.
1989
Illustrator 88 brings colour
Process colour, custom views, and the Pen tool overhaul make Illustrator the de-facto standard for logo design. The .ai file is still pure PostScript under the hood.
1993
PDF 1.0 introduced by Adobe
Adobe debuts the Portable Document Format and Acrobat Reader. PDF inherits much of PostScript's drawing model but adds random page access, embedded fonts, and compression.
1996
Illustrator 7 — cross-platform
First version that ships identically on Mac and Windows. Files are still PostScript-based, but the format gains better gradient and pattern handling.
2000
Illustrator 9 — the PDF turning point
This is the decisive moment for our tool: Adobe re-engineers the .ai format around PDF. Every saved file now contains a complete, valid PDF document inside it. This is exactly why every modern .ai file can be opened directly by Acrobat and other PDF readers without any conversion.
2003
Creative Suite launches (CS1)
Illustrator becomes part of the Adobe Creative Suite alongside Photoshop and InDesign. PDF interoperability between the apps becomes a major selling point.
2008
PDF becomes an ISO standard
PDF 1.7 is published as ISO 32000-1. The format is no longer owned by Adobe, cementing its position as a truly universal exchange format.
2013
Creative Cloud — subscription era
Illustrator moves to a subscription model. The .ai file format keeps its PDF-hybrid structure but adds new Creative Cloud features such as library linkage.
2018
Illustrator on iPad announced
Vector design goes touch-native. Files saved on iPad continue to use the same PDF-compatible .ai container, ensuring seamless cross-device editing.
Today
Every modern .ai is a hidden PDF
Two and a half decades after the format pivot, the PDF compatibility layer is still present in every .ai file. That is precisely the layer this tool extracts.
Why Browser-Based

Privacy You Can
Audit Yourself

Unlike server-based converters, this tool processes your file entirely on your own device. The network never sees a single byte of your artwork.

🔒 Your Files Never Leave Your Computer

Every modern browser comes with the FileReader API. This tool uses it to read your .ai file into memory, scan it for the embedded PDF, and hand the result back to you as a Blob URL. There is no fetch(), no XMLHttpRequest, no WebSocket — nothing transmits your file anywhere. Open DevTools and watch the Network tab if you want to verify this for yourself.

🚫 No uploads 🚫 No accounts 🚫 No tracking 🚫 No watermarks 🚫 No queues ✓ Works offline
Pro Tips

Get the Best Results
Every Time

Practical advice for designers, prepress operators, and anyone working with Illustrator files in real-world production.

TIP 01
Always Save with PDF Compatibility On
In Illustrator's Save dialog, the "Create PDF Compatible File" checkbox is on by default. Leave it on. It roughly doubles the file size, but it is what makes the file universally readable — and convertible by this tool.
TIP 02
Outline Your Fonts for Universal Sharing
If you are sending the extracted PDF to a recipient who may not own your fonts, run Type → Create Outlines in Illustrator before saving. This converts all text into vector paths and removes font dependencies entirely.
TIP 03
Use Artboards for Multi-Page PDFs
Each artboard in Illustrator becomes a separate page in the embedded PDF. Lay out a brochure, a multi-page brand guide, or a series of social-media assets as artboards and they will all appear as pages in the extracted PDF.
TIP 04
Embed Linked Images Before Saving
If your file uses linked images (rather than embedded), those images will not be inside the extracted PDF unless you embed them first. Use Window → Links → Embed Image(s) before your final save.
TIP 05
Set the Correct Colour Mode for Output
Set your document to CMYK for print or RGB for web/screen before final save. The colour mode is baked into the embedded PDF, and converting after extraction can shift colours.
TIP 06
Add Crop Marks for Print Jobs
Use Effect → Crop Marks or Object → Create Trim Marks before saving if the final PDF is heading to a printer. These survive the PDF extraction and tell the press operator where to trim the paper.
TIP 07
Flatten Transparency for Older Workflows
If the extracted PDF is destined for an older RIP or PostScript workflow, flatten transparency in Illustrator before saving. Object → Flatten Transparency gives you control over raster vs vector trade-offs.
TIP 08
Check Your Bleed Settings
For print, add at least 3 mm of bleed around the artwork in File → Document Setup. The bleed is preserved inside the embedded PDF, ensuring no white edges appear after trimming.
TIP 09
Verify Before Sending to the Printer
After extracting, open the PDF in Acrobat Pro and run Preflight (Tools → Print Production → Preflight) to check for missing fonts, low-res images, or out-of-gamut colours before sending to print.
Troubleshooting

Common Issues
& How to Fix Them

If the conversion does not behave as expected, one of these is almost certainly the cause.

"Legacy AI File" warning appears
The file was saved by Illustrator 8 or earlier, or was saved with PDF compatibility turned off. Fix: open the file in Illustrator, choose File → Save As, ensure "Create PDF Compatible File" is checked, and save again. Alternatively, open the file in Inkscape (free) and export as PDF.
Preview iframe is blank
Your browser may not have an inline PDF viewer enabled. Fix: the file is still extracted correctly — just click Extract & Download PDF and open the file in your normal PDF reader. In Chrome, you can re-enable inline viewing under Settings → Privacy and security → Site Settings → PDF documents.
Fonts look wrong in the extracted PDF
The original .ai file referenced fonts that were not embedded. Fix: in Illustrator, run Type → Find Font to identify missing fonts, or use Type → Create Outlines on all text before saving to bake the letterforms into the artwork as vector paths.
Page count shows "Not detected"
The PDF page count detector scans the first 32 KB of the extracted file for a /Count entry. In very large or compressed PDFs, this entry can sit further into the file. Fix: the PDF is still valid — just open it in any reader to see the true page count.
Linked images are missing
The original .ai file used linked (not embedded) images, and the linked image files are not part of the .ai file. Fix: in Illustrator, open Window → Links, select the images, and choose Embed Image(s) from the panel menu. Save again, then re-upload.
Colours look different in the PDF
Most often this is a CMYK-to-RGB display difference, not a real change. Fix: if the PDF is destined for screen, set your Illustrator document to RGB before saving. If it is destined for print, keep CMYK and trust the print preview — your monitor cannot accurately display CMYK.
File is rejected as "not a .ai file"
The file extension may have been changed manually, or the file is actually an EPS or SVG renamed to .ai. Fix: ensure the file was genuinely saved by Illustrator with the .ai extension. If the source is an EPS, open it in Illustrator and re-save as .ai with PDF compatibility enabled.
Browser becomes slow with very large files
Very large .ai files (over 500 MB) can stress browser memory because the file is held in RAM during extraction. Fix: close other tabs to free memory, or use a desktop tool such as Adobe Acrobat to extract from very large source files.
Glossary

Key Terms Explained

A plain-English reference for the technical vocabulary you may encounter while working with .ai and .pdf files.

PostScript
A page description language invented by Adobe in 1984. The ancestor of both PDF and the early .ai format. Still used by some professional printers.
PDF
Portable Document Format. A file format that captures all the elements of a printed document as an electronic image you can view, navigate, print, or forward to others.
EPS
Encapsulated PostScript. A legacy single-page PostScript file format used for graphics interchange before PDF became universal.
Vector Graphics
Resolution-independent artwork built from mathematical paths (lines, curves, shapes). Can be scaled to any size with no quality loss.
Raster Graphics
Artwork made of pixels (photos, scans). Has a fixed resolution and loses quality when scaled up. JPEG and PNG are raster formats.
Bézier Curve
A smooth, mathematically defined curve used to represent vector paths. Every shape in a .ai or .pdf file is ultimately made of Bézier curves.
Artboard
A defined canvas area in Illustrator. Multiple artboards in one .ai file become multiple pages in the extracted PDF.
Bleed
Extra artwork extending beyond the trim edge of a printed page (usually 3 mm). Prevents white edges if the trim is slightly off.
CMYK
Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Key (black). The four-colour process used in offset printing. The colour model most print-bound PDFs use.
RGB
Red, Green, Blue. The additive colour model used by screens. Most web-bound and screen-display PDFs use RGB.
PDF/X
An ISO subset of PDF designed for print production. PDF/X-1a and PDF/X-4 are the most common variants used by commercial printers.
PDF/A
An ISO subset of PDF designed for long-term archiving. Embeds all fonts and disallows external dependencies.
Blob URL
A temporary in-browser URL pointing to a binary object (like the extracted PDF). Used to display the PDF in an iframe without uploading.
ArrayBuffer
A JavaScript object representing a fixed-length chunk of raw binary memory. The .ai file is read into one of these for byte-level scanning.
%%EOF
The ASCII byte sequence (0x25 25 45 4F 46) marking the end of a PDF file. The tool reverse-scans for this to determine where the embedded PDF ends.
FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about converting Adobe Illustrator AI files to PDF.

Does the converted PDF lose quality?
No. The tool extracts the PDF bytes that Illustrator embedded natively. There is zero re-encoding or rasterisation — the PDF is identical to what Illustrator would produce when exporting directly.
Is my .ai file uploaded to a server?
No. The file is read entirely in your browser as a local binary buffer. Nothing is sent to any server. Your artwork stays completely private on your device.
Which AI versions are supported?
Adobe Illustrator version 9 and later (from the year 2000 onwards). All modern .ai files include an embedded PDF layer. Files from Illustrator 8 or earlier use legacy PostScript format and are not supported.
Will layers and artboards be preserved?
The extracted PDF contains whatever Illustrator embedded in the PDF compatibility layer, which typically includes all artwork, fonts, and embedded images. Editable AI-specific layers are not part of the PDF layer.
Why is the PDF smaller than the .ai file?
Modern .ai files contain both a PDF layer (for compatibility) and separate AI-specific metadata, history, and editing data. Extracting the PDF layer removes the AI overhead, resulting in a smaller file.
What if the file says "Legacy AI File"?
The file is an older Illustrator version 8 or earlier file with no embedded PDF. Open it in Adobe Illustrator or Inkscape and use File → Save As PDF or Export → PDF to convert it manually.
Is there a file size limit?
There is no artificial limit imposed by the tool. The practical limit is your browser's available memory, which is typically several hundred megabytes on desktop and somewhat less on mobile devices.
Does it work offline?
Yes. Once the page has loaded, the entire conversion runs in your browser with no further network activity. You can disconnect from the internet and the tool will keep working.
Can I convert multiple .ai files at once?
Currently the tool processes one file at a time, but conversions are instant so you can simply drop each file in turn. Each conversion is independent and does not require a page reload.
Can I edit the resulting PDF?
Yes. The extracted PDF can be opened and edited in Adobe Acrobat Pro, Affinity Publisher, Inkscape, or any other PDF editor. Vector paths, text, and embedded images all remain editable.
Will my fonts be preserved?
Yes, provided the original Illustrator file embedded the fonts (which is the default behaviour). Subsetted embedded fonts are preserved byte-for-byte inside the extracted PDF.
Does the tool work on mobile phones?
Yes. iOS Safari and Android Chrome both support the required FileReader and Blob APIs. The interface is fully responsive on phones and tablets.
Is the output PDF print-ready?
If the source .ai file was print-ready (correct colour mode, bleed, fonts embedded), the extracted PDF will be too. We recommend running it through Acrobat Preflight before sending to a commercial printer.
Why doesn't my browser preview the PDF?
Some browsers, especially on iOS, do not show PDFs inline inside an iframe. The extraction still works — just click Extract & Download PDF to save the file and open it in your normal viewer.
Can I use the tool commercially?
Yes. The tool is free for personal and commercial use. There are no watermarks, no quotas, and no commercial licence required.
Does the PDF support transparency?
Yes, if your source Illustrator file used transparency and was saved with a PDF version that supports it (1.4 or later, which has been default since Illustrator 9). Transparent objects come through identically.
What if my file is password-protected?
.ai files are not natively encrypted, but if you applied an extraction or open password to the embedded PDF via Acrobat, the preview iframe may prompt for the password. The extraction itself still works.
Will this work with Affinity Designer files?
Affinity Designer can export .ai-compatible files, and those exports usually contain a PDF layer that this tool can extract. Native .afdesign files are a different format and are not supported.

Ready to Convert Your AI File?

It takes a single click. No sign-up, no upload, no waiting. Just drop your .ai file at the top of the page and your PDF is ready.

🎨 Start Converting →

AI to PDF Converter — A free, private, browser-based tool for extracting embedded PDFs from Adobe Illustrator files.

Adobe Illustrator® and the .ai file format are trademarks of Adobe Inc. This tool is independent and not affiliated with Adobe.