P7M to PDF: get the original PDF out
The PDF you get is exactly the one that was signed, under its real name. Upload the .p7m, check the preview and download the PDF.
- Secure & private
- Works on any device
- Nothing to install
- Every signature in the file
- Intact, or changed since signing
- Who signed, and when
- Trust reported separately
Upload the .p7m to get its PDF
.pdf.p7m, .p7m, .m7m, .tsd · checked, then deleted
Drag & drop files here
or choose a file from your device
On your computer? Get the Windows appOn your phone? Get the phone app
Trust your own certificate (optional)
Add a root or intermediate certificate (.cer, .crt, .pem, .p7b) to treat it as trusted for this check only. It is not stored.
How to get the PDF out of a P7M file
- Upload the .pdf.p7m. Even if it is only called document.p7m: the tool looks at what is inside, not at the name.
- Check it is the right PDF. You see the pages in a preview and the name the file will have, for example quote.pdf instead of quote.pdf.p7m.
- Download the PDF. The downloaded file is identical to the one that was signed. Open it, print it or attach it like any other PDF.
Extracting is not converting
Many sites turn a .p7m into a PDF by printing the document into a new file. Here the PDF is taken out of the envelope as it is. The difference shows:
| Extracted here | Printed into a new PDF | |
|---|---|---|
| Content | The same file, byte for byte | A redrawn PDF |
| Selectable text, links, form fields | Kept as they were | Can be lost |
| File size | Identical to the original | Usually different |
| The digital signature | Stays in the .p7m, not in the PDF | Stays in the .p7m, not in the PDF |
| File name | The real one, without .p7m | Usually a generic one |
The extracted PDF is for reading, printing or sending to someone who does not need the signature. The proof of the signature is the .p7m.
Why nothing is lost
In a .pdf.p7m the PDF is stored whole, inside the signature envelope. Getting it out means removing the envelope, not remaking the document: pages, fonts, pictures and copyable text stay exactly as the signer saw them when they signed.
The result shows the file's name and size. For full certainty, the PDF report of the check lists the SHA-256 fingerprint of the signed file, which you can compare with the PDF you downloaded.
The PDF you get is no longer signed
Once it is out of the envelope, the PDF is an ordinary file, and no reader will find a digital signature in it. The signature exists only in the .p7m, because it was calculated over that content and travels with it.
So: when someone asks for the signed document, send the .p7m. When you only need the content, to read, print or attach somewhere that does not ask for a signature, the PDF is fine. If you need a PDF that carries a signature inside it (the PAdES format), it has to be signed again by whoever holds the certificate. If the certificate is yours, Digital Signature does that.
When the file inside is not a PDF
The envelope can hold any file. If the result says Word document, spreadsheet or XML, the extracted file is that kind of file, with its own extension. It is not converted here; you download it as it is. For a Word file, the next step is Word to PDF. An Italian e-invoice (.xml.p7m) is shown as a readable invoice, with a Download as PDF button for a printable copy.
Several signatures, several extensions
report.pdf.p7m.p7m means two signatures, one on top of the other. All envelopes are opened in order, every signature is checked, and the PDF you download is the one at the bottom, the original document. The same goes for a .p7m inside a timestamped .tsd or .m7m file.
What the tool does not do is batch extraction. It works on one .p7m at a time. A folder of signed files means uploading them one after another.
Is it safe to trust the PDF?
Before you get the PDF, the signature over it is verified. If the content had been changed after signing, the result says Not valid in plain words, and you would know before opening anything. A PDF preview is drawn without any scripts the file contains, and the download is the untouched original. For what each line of the result means, see Open a P7M file.
P7M to PDF: common questions
Can I convert a p7m to PDF for free?
Yes, without an account. Getting the PDF is part of the signature check, which works without signing up within the free allowance.
Does the extracted PDF still carry the digital signature?
No. The signature stays in the .p7m: keep that file and use it when you need to show the document was signed. The PDF is a reading copy of the content.
How do I know the PDF was not changed?
The signature over the content is checked before you download it. If the content had changed after signing, the result would say Not valid.
Can I get a PDF/A from a p7m?
Yes, in two steps: get the PDF here, then run it through PDF to PDF/A. That PDF/A does not carry the signature either.
Why does the PDF have a different name from the .p7m?
The envelope's extensions are removed: invoice.pdf.p7m becomes invoice.pdf. When the name does not say what kind of file it is, the extension comes from the content.
Can I convert several p7m files to PDF at once?
Not yet. Files are handled one at a time, each with a full signature check.