# How to Convert a PDF to JPG (and When PNG Is the Better Pick) > Converting a PDF to JPG re-renders every page as pixels, so text stops being text. Measured output sizes at each resolution, when PNG is the better pick, and the limits to know before you start. Source: https://toolpantry.app/blog/how-to-convert-pdf-to-jpg Converting a PDF to images is not extraction — it is a redraw. Every page is rendered as pixels, which is exactly what you want for a slide, a chat message or a form upload, and exactly what you do not want if the text still has to be selectable. ## Quick answer **Short answer:** open the [PDF to JPG converter](https://toolpantry.app/pdf-to-jpg), choose the file, pick a resolution, and download. A multi-page PDF arrives as one ZIP with numbered files. Everything runs in your browser, so the document never leaves the device. If the pages need to stay searchable, stop at the end of this page and use [PDF to text](https://toolpantry.app/pdf-to-text) instead. ## What "PDF to JPG" actually does A PDF is a description: which glyphs sit where, which lines connect which points, which font to use. It is small because that description compresses well. A JPG is a photograph of the finished page. So converting is a redraw at a chosen resolution, and everything the PDF described rather than drew is lost on the way: - **Selectable text** becomes pixels. The words are still readable to a person and unreadable to a search engine, a screen reader or a copy-paste. - **Working links and bookmarks** stop working. - **Form fields** become part of the picture. - **Vector sharpness** is replaced by whatever resolution you picked. Nothing is lost that you cannot get back from the original, so keep the PDF. But if the output is going to be the only copy, this is the step that quietly ends your ability to search it. ## Pick the resolution Our converter offers three scales, and the difference is bigger than "sharper vs smaller" — it is the difference between a preview and something you would print. Measured on the A4 fixture, one page each: | Setting | Pixels per A4 page | Effective DPI | JPG per page | Two pages as a ZIP | |---|---|---|---|---| | Smallest (1×) | 595 × 841 | 72 | 65 KB | 131 KB | | Balanced (1.5×) | 892 × 1262 | 108 | 166 KB | 332 KB | | Best (2×) | 1190 × 1683 | 144 | 286 KB | 572 KB | The rule of thumb: **72 DPI for reading on a screen, 144 DPI for anything you might print or paste into a document.** 108 sits in between and is the right default for chat messages and email attachments. ## JPG or PNG Same page, same resolution, two very different files: - **Balanced as JPG** — 166 KB per page - **Balanced as PNG** — 877 KB per page, the same 892 × 1262 pixels That is a 5.3× difference for identical pixels, and it is not a quality setting: PNG encodes losslessly, JPG throws away detail to get the file down. The choice is about the content, not the file extension. - **Choose JPG** for scans, photographs, and pages made mostly of text on white. It wins by a mile and nobody can tell the difference at screen size. - **Choose PNG** for pages with flat graphics, diagrams, screenshots, or crisp edges where compression artefacts around the letters would show. Expect the file to be several times larger. ## Do it locally The [converter](https://toolpantry.app/pdf-to-jpg) renders in your browser tab with [pdf.js](https://mozilla.github.io/pdf.js/), the same engine that powers most browser PDF viewers. That means the document never reaches a server, which matters when the PDF is a signed contract, a payslip, or anything with a name on it. Limits worth knowing before you start: - PDF input up to **60 MB** - Each exported page up to **16 megapixels** and **16,384 px per side** - All exported images together up to **100 MB** per batch - Multi-page documents download as **one ZIP**, with numbered filenames in page order - Page rotation and visible crop areas in the PDF are applied to the exported images Need only some of the pages? Extract them first with [Extract PDF pages](https://toolpantry.app/extract-pdf-pages), then convert the smaller file — it is faster and it keeps the ZIP small. ## Going back the other way Images back into a PDF is the easy direction: [JPG to PDF](https://toolpantry.app/jpg-to-pdf) and [PNG to PDF](https://toolpantry.app/png-to-pdf) put one image on each page. The result is a PDF whose pages are pictures, so the same rule applies — **the text is gone from the search index too**. If you need a searchable document, you need real text, not a picture of text. ## When you should not convert - **You need the text to stay selectable** — use [PDF to text](https://toolpantry.app/pdf-to-text). If the text is a scan rather than real characters, it needs OCR instead, which is a different job. - **You only need to shrink a file** — and not to change its format — compress the PDF itself ([Compress PDF](https://toolpantry.app/compress-pdf)), or shrink the images to fit a portal's limit with our [20 KB](https://toolpantry.app/compress-image-to-20kb) and [50 KB](https://toolpantry.app/compress-image-to-50kb) tools. Our guide to [reducing image size for email and upload portals](https://toolpantry.app/blog/reduce-image-size-for-email-discord-passport) covers which limit each service actually enforces. - **You need an editable document** — a JPG is the end of the road for editing. [PDF to Word](https://toolpantry.app/pdf-to-word) goes the other direction, from a structured document to a structured document. ## The part that trips people up A converted page is often bigger than you expect, because a page of text is high-frequency detail — the worst case for image compression. If the destination is an upload form with a limit, convert first, then push the images down to the size the form wants. That is a different job from the conversion, and our [100 KB](https://toolpantry.app/compress-image-to-100kb), [200 KB](https://toolpantry.app/compress-image-to-200kb) and [500 KB](https://toolpantry.app/compress-image-to-500kb) tools exist for it. A JPG at 65 KB is already under most of those ceilings. ## Notes By the Tool Pantry team, October 2026. Output sizes below were measured on October 20, 2026 by converting our two-page A4 fixture (410 KB PDF) in Chrome on macOS. The fixture is a synthetic scan, not a photograph — the proportions hold, the absolute sizes are specific to that document. ## FAQ **Does converting a PDF to JPG make the text blurry?** There is no blur in the render itself — the page is drawn at the resolution you pick. What you lose is vector text: the letters become pixels, so they scale like a photo instead of staying crisp. At 1× an A4 page is 595 × 841 pixels, fine for a screen preview and too small to print. **Why is my JPG bigger than the PDF it came from?** A PDF stores a description — text, fonts, vector drawings — and compresses that well. A JPG stores the rendered pixels of every page, and a page of text is exactly the sort of high-frequency detail image compression handles badly. Our two-page A4 fixture was 410 KB as a PDF, 332 KB as JPG at Balanced and 572 KB as JPG at Best. **Can I convert a password-protected PDF?** No. The file is encrypted, so it has to be unlocked before anything can be read. Remove the password first, then convert.