Convert InfoPath XML to PDF with the original layout
A PDF is what records managers, auditors and lawyers actually want to keep. Getting one from an InfoPath form used to mean opening it in InfoPath and exporting it by hand. For a library of thousands, that was never realistic.
To convert InfoPath XML to PDF in bulk, drag the form template (.xsn) and the folder of .xml submissions into FormArchive, pick the view to render, and choose one PDF per form or one merged PDF. Each PDF keeps the form's original layout, contains real searchable text, and is named after the source file or a field you choose, such as an employee name or a claim number. The conversion runs on your own computer, so the forms are never uploaded.
Why the layout matters for a PDF archive
The point of archiving a form as a PDF is that someone can read it years later without any special software and understand it the way it was filled in. A field dump loses the context: which answer belonged to which question, which section was optional, which table row was which. Rendering through the template's own view keeps the labels, headings and tables that gave the answers their meaning.
Step by step
- Download the submissions from the SharePoint form library, along with
Forms/template.xsn. Our SharePoint export guide covers the options. - Drag the template and the folder into FormArchive. It matches each XML to the template and flags any that were saved from a different template version.
- Choose the view. Many forms have a separate print view designed for exactly this.
- Choose the output: one PDF per form, or one merged PDF with a bookmark per form.
- Choose the file naming, for example
{employee} {date}.pdf, from any field in the form. - Export. Attachments inside the forms can be written alongside the PDFs in the same pass.
One PDF per form, or one merged file?
One file per form suits a records system or a shared drive, where each record is retrieved on its own. A merged PDF suits a hand-over: an auditor, a legal hold, a closed project. You can produce both from the same run.
The one-at-a-time way, for comparison
InfoPath 2010 and 2013 could export the open form to PDF or XPS from the File menu. That still works on a machine with InfoPath installed, for one form at a time. Printing from the browser form was the other route while Forms Services was running in SharePoint Online. Neither scales past a few dozen forms, and the browser route ended with the retirement.
Open your InfoPath forms now
Drop in the template and a folder of submissions. Preview 10 forms free, on your own computer.
Enter your email to get the download link
Works with InfoPath 2007, 2010 and 2013 forms. Mac and Windows.
FAQ
Are the PDFs searchable?
Yes. The text in the PDF is real text, not a scanned image, so search tools find a form by any word in it.
Do I need InfoPath installed to convert to PDF?
No. FormArchive reads the template and the XML itself, on Mac or Windows.
What if some forms were filled in on an older template version?
FormArchive flags them. Fields that no longer exist in the current template are still exported, in the generic view at the end of the form, so no data is dropped.