Does NYSCEF really require PDF/A?

Yes. NYSCEF's formatting requirements state that all e-filed documents must conform to PDF/A specifications. That is why encryption, passwords, and embedded scripts are rejected — they violate PDF/A compliance. docu cleans up those issues and makes your file searchable and flattened, but it does not perform the final PDF/A conversion itself, so plan to use a dedicated PDF/A tool for that step.

Can docu convert my document to PDF/A for NYSCEF?

No, and we will not pretend otherwise. docu handles the searchability, security removal, script stripping, flattening, resizing, and compression that trip up most NYSCEF filings, but converting a file to the PDF/A archival standard is a separate process docu does not do. Use docu to clean the file up, then a dedicated PDF/A converter to produce the final format.

Why was my NYSCEF document rejected when it opens fine on my computer?

A PDF that looks fine to you can still fail NYSCEF's automated checks. The most common culprits are a scan with no searchable text layer, a password or encryption setting, an embedded script or open action tag, or unflattened form fields — none of which are obvious when you simply open the file. docu inspects for exactly these and tells you which one applies.

What does the text-searchable requirement mean in practice?

It means the words in your PDF have to be real, selectable text — not just a picture of text. Documents saved directly from Word or another word processor are already searchable. Anything you scanned from paper is usually image-only until you run OCR over it, which adds a text layer the system can read. docu performs that OCR step for you.

Is my document safe if I use docu?

Yes. docu runs entirely in your browser and never uploads your file, so your document stays on your own device the whole time. That makes it safe to use on sealed filings, affidavits, or anything you have not yet submitted to the court. Checking your file costs nothing.

Does docu handle the NYSCEF margin and resolution rules?

docu flattens layers and can resize pages to a standard 8.5 x 11 Letter format, and it preserves the resolution of your scans. It does not reset your document's one-inch margins for you — margins are set when the document is created, in your word processor or scanner settings. For rejections tied specifically to margins, adjust the source document, then run it through docu for the searchability and security fixes. This is not legal advice.

NYSCEF PDF requirements, and how to meet them

Getting a rejection from NYSCEF is frustrating, especially when the notice is short and the reason is buried in a formatting rule you have never had to think about. You did the work; the document just did not clear the technical gate.

Most NYSCEF rejections are about the PDF itself, not its contents — a scan that isn't searchable, a security setting the system won't accept, a stray script. These are fixable, and fixing them does not mean redoing your document.

Below is what NYSCEF actually requires, the problems that get filings bounced most often, and what docu can and cannot fix — checked right in your browser, with your document never leaving your device.

NYSCEF · Official requirements

What NYSCEF is

NYSCEF is the New York State Courts Electronic Filing system. It is the platform you use to e-file documents in participating New York State courts — Supreme Court cases, Court of Claims, Surrogate's Court, and others, depending on the county and case type.

When you upload a PDF to NYSCEF, the system checks it against a specific set of formatting rules before a filing is accepted. Those rules are stricter than what many people expect from an ordinary PDF, which is why perfectly good documents get turned away on a technicality.

What NYSCEF requires of a PDF

NYSCEF publishes its formatting requirements, and the important ones for whether your file is accepted are these.

Text-searchable text. Per NYSCEF, all PDF documents generated from an original word processing file must be text-searchable. If you are scanning a signed or paper document, run it through OCR (optical character recognition) so it has a real, selectable text layer. Image-only scans are a common reason filings are rejected.

PDF/A compliance. NYSCEF states that it requires all e-filed documents to conform to PDF/A specifications — the archival PDF standard. Read the honesty note in the next section carefully, because this is the one requirement docu does not handle for you.

No passwords or encryption. NYSCEF will not accept password-protected or encrypted documents; those features violate PDF/A compliance. The file has to be openable by the court without a password.

No JavaScript or open actions. NYSCEF explicitly will not accept documents that contain open action tags or JavaScript. Embedded scripts have to be removed before the file will go through.

Flattened, standard-format pages. Multi-layered PDFs should be flattened, margins should be one inch, and scanned content should be at least 200 dpi. NYSCEF also does not accept embedded multimedia, 3D objects, or annotations.

About the PDF/A requirement — what docu does and doesn't do

Here is the honest limitation. NYSCEF requires PDF/A, and docu does not convert files to PDF/A. It is important you know that up front rather than discovering it at the filing gate.

What docu does handle is most of what breaks a NYSCEF filing in practice: it makes scanned documents text-searchable with OCR, flattens form fields and layers, removes passwords, permission restrictions, and embedded scripts, resizes pages, and compresses oversized files. Several of these — no encryption, no scripts, flattened content — are the same conditions PDF/A demands, so cleaning them up moves your file closer to compliant.

But the final step of stamping the file as conforming PDF/A is a separate conversion docu does not perform. To produce a true PDF/A file for NYSCEF, use a dedicated PDF/A conversion tool. docu is the right tool for the searchability, security, flattening, and size problems; it is not a PDF/A converter, and it will not claim your file is PDF/A when it is not.

The rejections we see most

When a NYSCEF filing comes back, it is usually one of these. Each is a formatting problem, and docu addresses all but the last.

1Scanned pages that aren't searchable. docu runs OCR to add a real, selectable text layer.
2Password-protected or encrypted files. NYSCEF rejects these outright; docu removes permission restrictions, though a file locked with an open password must have the password removed by you first.
3Embedded JavaScript or open action tags. docu strips scripts so the file will pass NYSCEF's check.
4Live form fields or multi-layer content. docu flattens fields and layers into the page.
5Oversized or oddly sized files. docu compresses large PDFs and resizes pages to a standard 8.5 x 11 Letter format.
6Not PDF/A. This is the one docu can't finish for you — convert to PDF/A with a dedicated tool after docu has cleaned up everything else.

How docu pre-checks your filing

Before you go back to NYSCEF, docu inspects your PDF and tells you what it finds — whether the text is searchable, whether the file carries a password or scripts, whether fields and layers need flattening, whether the size and page dimensions are in range. Checking is free.

It all runs inside your browser. Your PDF is never uploaded to any server, so a document you have not filed — a client's affidavit, a sealed exhibit, a draft — stays entirely on your own machine.

docu fixes what it can and returns a corrected PDF with a plain-language compliance summary of what changed, so you know exactly what was done. Where it hits a limit — an encrypted file, or the PDF/A conversion — it tells you plainly instead of pretending the file is ready.

Fix your PDF before you re-file

The steps are quick, and you keep control of the file throughout.

1Open docu in your browser and drop in the PDF NYSCEF rejected.
2Let docu check it against the NYSCEF requirements — searchable text, security, scripts, flattening, size, and page format.
3Review what it found, including the specifics behind any rejection.
4Apply docu's fixes and download the corrected PDF with its compliance summary.
5If your court requires PDF/A, run the cleaned file through a PDF/A converter, then re-file through NYSCEF.

Frequently asked questions

Does NYSCEF really require PDF/A?: Yes. NYSCEF's formatting requirements state that all e-filed documents must conform to PDF/A specifications. That is why encryption, passwords, and embedded scripts are rejected — they violate PDF/A compliance. docu cleans up those issues and makes your file searchable and flattened, but it does not perform the final PDF/A conversion itself, so plan to use a dedicated PDF/A tool for that step.
Can docu convert my document to PDF/A for NYSCEF?: No, and we will not pretend otherwise. docu handles the searchability, security removal, script stripping, flattening, resizing, and compression that trip up most NYSCEF filings, but converting a file to the PDF/A archival standard is a separate process docu does not do. Use docu to clean the file up, then a dedicated PDF/A converter to produce the final format.
Why was my NYSCEF document rejected when it opens fine on my computer?: A PDF that looks fine to you can still fail NYSCEF's automated checks. The most common culprits are a scan with no searchable text layer, a password or encryption setting, an embedded script or open action tag, or unflattened form fields — none of which are obvious when you simply open the file. docu inspects for exactly these and tells you which one applies.
What does the text-searchable requirement mean in practice?: It means the words in your PDF have to be real, selectable text — not just a picture of text. Documents saved directly from Word or another word processor are already searchable. Anything you scanned from paper is usually image-only until you run OCR over it, which adds a text layer the system can read. docu performs that OCR step for you.
Is my document safe if I use docu?: Yes. docu runs entirely in your browser and never uploads your file, so your document stays on your own device the whole time. That makes it safe to use on sealed filings, affidavits, or anything you have not yet submitted to the court. Checking your file costs nothing.
Does docu handle the NYSCEF margin and resolution rules?: docu flattens layers and can resize pages to a standard 8.5 x 11 Letter format, and it preserves the resolution of your scans. It does not reset your document's one-inch margins for you — margins are set when the document is created, in your word processor or scanner settings. For rejections tied specifically to margins, adjust the source document, then run it through docu for the searchability and security fixes. This is not legal advice.

Ready to file with NYSCEF?

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Fix a specific problem

Requirements change. Always confirm the current rules with New York State Courts or the official NYSCEF portal before filing.