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Spyros Avlonitis

PDF Version Converter for macOS

Change a PDF’s version in a few clicks. Choose a file, select PDF 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 1.7, or 2.0, and save a new copy. Your documents stay on your Mac, and your original file stays untouched.

Download for macOS

Version 1.1.0 · Apple Silicon and Intel · Free download

The app requires macOS 13 or later and a separate installation of Ghostscript. For the Homebrew setup below, use macOS 14 or later, as required by Homebrew’s current support policy. Ghostscript is not included in the download.

Install the app

  1. Download the ZIP above and double-click it to extract PDF Version Converter.app.
  2. Drag the app into your Applications folder.
  3. Install Ghostscript using the steps below, then open the app.

First launch

This release is not signed with an Apple Developer ID or notarized by Apple, so macOS may block the first launch. If you trust this download, try opening it once, then go to System Settings → Privacy & Security → Open Anyway and confirm Open. See Apple’s instructions for opening an app from an unidentified developer. Managed Macs may require help from an administrator.

Install Ghostscript

Ghostscript performs the PDF conversion locally. You only need to install it once.

  1. If you do not have Homebrew, follow the official installation instructions at brew.sh. Complete the installer’s Next steps, then open a new Terminal window.

  2. Open Terminal (in Applications → Utilities) and run:

    brew install ghostscript

  3. Check that installation completed:

    gs --version
  4. Return to PDF Version Converter. It checks for Ghostscript automatically; you can also click Check again.

If Ghostscript is missing, the app shows these setup instructions and keeps Export PDF disabled. It does not install software automatically. It detects the standard Homebrew locations on Apple Silicon (/opt/homebrew/bin/gs) and Intel (/usr/local/bin/gs).

The command is also documented on Homebrew’s Ghostscript page. If Terminal says brew: command not found, finish Homebrew’s Next steps before trying again. If an older Ghostscript installation fails to export PDF 2.0, update it with brew update followed by brew upgrade ghostscript.

Convert a PDF

  1. Click Choose PDF… and select your document. The app shows its current version and page count.
  2. Choose the version you need from Export as, including PDF 2.0.
  3. Click Export PDF…, then choose a new filename and save location.
  4. Click Show in Finder to find the exported file.

For example, select a PDF 1.4 document and export it as PDF 1.7 or 2.0. You can also choose an older version when another application requires it. Use the version requested by the receiving application; newer is not always more compatible.

What to expect

  • Local processing: the app does not upload PDFs or require an account.
  • A separate copy: the original cannot be selected as the export destination.
  • Checked output: the app verifies the selected version and page count before saving the export. These checks are not a full PDF standards certification.
  • Document features can change: conversion rebuilds the PDF. Forms, annotations, layers, attachments, accessibility tags, and other advanced features may change or be lost. Digital signatures are not preserved.
  • Regular PDF versions: this app does not create PDF/A or PDF/X archival or print standards. Encrypted PDFs need to be exported as an unlocked copy first.

Review the exported PDF before submitting or sharing it. See Ghostscript’s PDF conversion documentation for more about how documents are rebuilt.

Release notes

1.1.0 — September 18, 2026: added PDF 2.0 export, a Ghostscript setup guide and detection refresh, and a universal Mac download.

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