Tools / PDF Color Mode Checker
Upload a PDF and find out whether it's actually built in CMYK or still sitting in RGB, whether it carries an embedded color (ICC) profile, and whether it uses spot or process color — the exact preflight check a print shop runs before accepting a file.
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Upload a PDF to check its color mode.
| Result | What it means |
|---|---|
| CMYK | The file uses DeviceCMYK (or a CMYK ICC profile) throughout. This is the color space a printing press actually uses — the file is in the right mode for print. |
| Mixed | Some content is CMYK and some is still RGB — common when an element gets pasted in from a screen export. Worth fixing before sending to a printer. |
| RGB | The file is still in RGB, the color space screens use. Most print shops will either reject it or auto-convert it, and an automatic conversion can shift your colors without you seeing it happen. |
| Unknown / untagged | No clear color-space marker was found. Often still fine for print, but worth a direct check with your printer or in Acrobat's Preflight tool before a large run. |
File came back RGB, or you're not sure what to do next? We rebuild it as a proper CMYK, print-ready PDF — by hand, not an automatic batch conversion.
Get Professional RecreationOpen it in Acrobat Pro's Preflight tool (Tools → Print Production → Preflight) and run a color-space check, or just drop it into the checker above for the same answer in your browser, free, with nothing uploaded.
The cleanest way is to go back to the source file (Illustrator, CorelDraw, InDesign, Photoshop) and use its built-in “Convert to CMYK” / “Convert Colors” export option with a proper CMYK ICC profile, rather than converting the finished PDF after the fact — that way you can see and correct any color shift before it ships. If you only have the PDF, Acrobat Pro's Preflight tool can convert it directly, though you should always check saturated colors afterward since they shift the most.
A preflight check is the pass a print shop (or your own software) runs on a file before it goes to press: confirming the color mode is CMYK, resolution and bleed are correct, fonts are embedded, and nothing is missing. Checking color mode, like this tool does, is one part of a full preflight check.
Color mode is one of several things that decide that. For a single combined check covering resolution, vector structure and color-mode risk together, run our Print Readiness Scanner.