Why convert PDF to images
PDFs are great for documents, but images are easier in many places: posting a page on social media, inserting a page into a presentation, attaching a single page to a chat message, uploading to a form that only accepts JPG, or making thumbnails for a website. This PDF to JPG converter renders each page as a high-quality image on your device.
How it works
The tool uses PDF.js – the same engine Firefox uses to display PDFs – to draw each page onto a canvas at the resolution you choose, then saves it as JPG or PNG. Text, vector graphics and images on the page are all included, exactly as they appear in a PDF reader.
Choosing the settings
Format
- JPG – small files, ideal for pages with photographs and for sharing.
- PNG (lossless) – perfect edges on text, tables and diagrams; larger files. Choose PNG when the image will be edited or zoomed.
Resolution
| Setting | Pixel size of an A4 page | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| 72 DPI (screen) | about 595 × 842 | thumbnails, quick previews |
| 150 DPI (standard) | about 1240 × 1754 | screens, slides, social posts |
| 200 DPI | about 1654 × 2339 | reading small print on screen |
| 300 DPI (print) | about 2480 × 3508 | printing, archiving, OCR |
Pages – leave empty to convert every page, or type single pages and ranges: 1, 2-4, 1-3, 7, 5- (page 5 to the end).
Downloading the images
If you convert one page, you get a single image. If you convert several, they are bundled into a ZIP named after the PDF, with files numbered by page. You can also click any preview to save that page on its own – handy on phones where ZIP files are less convenient.
Tips
- For social media, 150 DPI JPG is plenty. Instagram and LinkedIn resize images anyway.
- For presentations, PNG at 150–200 DPI keeps charts and text crisp on a projector.
- For printing, choose 300 DPI.
- Large documents: converting 200 pages at 300 DPI produces a very large ZIP and takes time. Convert only the pages you need.
- Reduce the image size further with Compress Image if a form has an upload limit.
Converting text versus images
If you want the words from a PDF rather than a picture of the page, use PDF to Text instead – the text can then be copied, edited and searched. Note that scanned PDFs are already pictures of pages, so they have no text to extract; converting them to JPG works fine.
Going the other way
To turn images back into a PDF, use JPG to PDF. To pick out pages as a smaller PDF rather than images, use Split PDF.
Password-protected PDFs
A PDF that needs a password to open must be unlocked first with Unlock PDF. The tool tells you when this is the case.
Image quality notes
Fonts embedded in the PDF are used for rendering, so text looks as the author intended. If a PDF uses fonts that are not embedded, PDF.js substitutes a similar font – the same thing a PDF reader would do. Transparent areas of a page are rendered on white for JPG, because JPG has no transparency.
Privacy
Pages are rendered on your device. The PDF is never uploaded, so it is safe for contracts, statements and anything confidential.
Frequently asked questions
How do I convert a PDF page to a JPG?
Add the PDF, type the page number in Pages, choose JPG and press Convert to images. You get one JPG for that page.
What resolution should I use?
150 DPI for screens, slides and social media; 300 DPI for printing or zooming into small text; 72 DPI for small previews.
JPG or PNG?
JPG gives smaller files and suits pages with photos. PNG is lossless and keeps text and line drawings perfectly crisp, but files are larger.
How do I get all pages as images?
Leave Pages empty. All pages are converted and bundled into one ZIP file.
Can I convert a password-protected PDF?
Unlock it first with Unlock PDF using its password.
Are my files uploaded?
No. Pages are rendered by PDF.js in your browser.