PDF to HTML Page Conversion Service

An Easier Way to Make PDFs Accessible

Summary

HTML pages are more accessible than PDFs. They are easier to edit, work on all devices, and support AI tools and language translation. NCDIT is working with Google and Gemini AI to provide a tool that turns PDFs into easy-to-read HTML pages.

The conversion service is enabled on Digital Commons websites. State agency websites not hosted on Digital Commons can use this solution to convert PDFs to HTML for a small fee per page.

Audience

Web Managers can use this service to convert PDFs to HTML Pages.

Learn more about Platform User Roles and Permissions. 

Using the PDF to HTML Page Conversion Service

  • 1

    How the Service Works

    • Convert PDF to HTML: Most PDFs can be turned into a one-column HTML page based on Digital Commons Site Page. You can edit these pages as you would any other site page.
    • Redirects: Links to old PDFs will automatically redirect visitors to the new HTML Page created from the PDF content. URLs for the new pages will use the /html/ path after the domain. 
    • Replacement: The HTML Page will replace the PDF, not appear alongside it.

    Answers to Frequently-Asked Questions about the PDF to HTML Conversion for Digital Commons Websites

    Accordion

    Exceptions

    Tab/Accordion Items

    We recommend replacing PDF forms with Webforms wherever possible. You must be a Web Manager with additional training to work with Webforms.

    If you keep a PDF form online, it must meet accessibility standards (WCAG 2.1 Level AA). 

    Some documents, like legal files or highly formatted layouts, must stay in PDF format. These documents need accessibility remediation, either by your agency or through a vendor hired under a state contract.

    Password protected PDFs are not eligible for this conversion process. These documents need accessibility remediation, either by your agency or through a vendor hired under a state contract.

  • 2

    Open the PDF Accessibility Tool

    Navigate to Admin > Reports > PDF Accessibility

  • 3

    Understand the User Interface

    PDF Accessibility tool interface on the Admin side of the Digital Commons platform
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    Tab/Accordion Items

    When you open the tool, all converted PDFs are displayed in a PDF Records table. 

    Search for a Document:

    • Enter a keyword from the document Title in the Search field (Example: GICC). 
    • Select the Filter button.

    Filter by Conversion Status:

    • Select an option from the Conversion Status drop-down menu: All, Converted or Not Converted. 
    • Select the Filter button.

    Progress

    A donut pie chart shows the percentage of PDFs that you have converted. It includes a color key denoting the total number PDFs converted versus the total number remaining. 

    The donut pie chart shows how many PDFs have been converted to HTML and how many remain.

    Conversion status for every PDF on this site available under Conversion report tab:

    • Converted - published as a HTML page
    • In progress - imported or queued but not yet published
    • Not started - not yet submitted for conversion.

    Additional information is provided for each PDF document to help you determine your plan of action. You can sort each the information in each column (ascending or descending) by selecting the column heading. 

    • Title - The Title of the document which is used for the HTML Page Title.
    • Last Modified - (clarification needed)
    • Converted - 
      • No - Default status for all PDF documents that have not been converted from PDF to HTML Page.
      • Conversion Date - Status of a PDF that has been converted to a HTML Page.
    • Routing - Confidence score estimates the amount of human review needed before publication.
    • Comparison Preview - Opens side by side original PDF and converted HTML version that will appear after conversion. 
    • Audit - AI generated audit report about quality of the conversion HTML, provides quality conversion score, severity level and details to address during manual review. 

    About Audit Report

    • Complex documents (those with many pages, images, and/or tables) generally have a lower quality score. 
    • Simple documents (those with few pages, words, images, and/or tables) generally have a higher score. 
    • After a PDF is converted to a HTML Page, you can edit it as you would edit any other Site Page. Pages with a lower quality score may require more manual editing on your part. 
    • Always review AI-generated alt text for accuracy and clarity before publishing.

    You may convert (or revert) documents individually or in bulk. Note that converting multiple documents or complex documents with many pages will take more time to process than a single document, or a simple document with few pages. 

    Convert

    • Select one or more documents to convert from PDF to HTML Page.
    • Select Convert Selected PDFs. 

    Revert

    • Select one or more documents to revert from HTML Page back to PDF.
    • Select Revert Selected PDFs. 

    Luke Ertzberger shared a preview of the tool, developed with AI, at the A11y Community of Practice. 

    Second Sidebar
    May 26, 2026

    PDF to HTML Conversion Tool Demo

This page was last modified on 07/24/2026

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