How to Convert a PDF to PNG for Free
Quick summary: To convert a PDF to PNG for free on Mac, open the PDF in Preview, go to File → Export, choose PNG as the format, and set the resolution (150 DPI for web, 300 DPI for print). On Windows, take a screenshot of each page (Snipping Tool + Win+Shift+S) or use a free command-line tool like Ghostscript:
gs -sDEVICE=png256 -r150 -sOutputFile=page-%d.png input.pdf. Online converters work without any install.
Converting a PDF to PNG is useful when you need to embed a page in a presentation, share a document as an image, or use a PDF graphic in a design tool that doesn’t accept PDF files. Once you have the PNG, you can also upload it to our AI tool to extract and read the text from the image.
How to convert a PDF to PNG on Mac — Preview
Preview exports each PDF page as a PNG with one setting change:
- Open the PDF in Preview.
- To convert one page: navigate to that page.
- Go to File → Export (not “Export as PDF”).
- In the Format dropdown, select PNG.
- Set the Resolution — 150 DPI for screen use, 300 DPI for print.
- Click Save.
Preview saves the currently visible page as a PNG. To export all pages:
- Open File → Print (Cmd+P).
- Click PDF → Save as PostScript — then use Ghostscript to convert (see command-line section below).
Or use Automator for batch export:
- Open Automator (in Applications).
- Create a new Workflow.
- Add “Render PDF Pages as Images” action — set format to PNG and resolution to 150 or 300.
- Add “Move Finder Items” action — choose a destination folder.
- Drag the PDF onto the Automator window and run.
How to convert a PDF to PNG on Windows
Windows has no built-in PDF-to-PNG export, but three free methods work:
Method 1: Snipping Tool (for one page at a time)
- Open the PDF in Edge or any viewer.
- Press Win + Shift + S to open the Snipping Tool.
- Drag to capture the PDF page area on screen.
- The screenshot is copied to the clipboard and shown in the Snipping Tool window.
- Click Save (floppy disk icon) → choose PNG format.
This produces a screen-resolution image (72–96 DPI). For higher quality, zoom in to 200% in the viewer before snipping.
Method 2: Ghostscript (all pages, high resolution)
Ghostscript converts all pages in one command:
Install: Download from ghostscript.com and add to PATH.
gs -sDEVICE=pngmono -r300 -sOutputFile=page-%d.png input.pdf -dNOPAUSE -dBATCHFor color PDFs:
gs -sDEVICE=png16m -r150 -sOutputFile=page-%d.png input.pdf -dNOPAUSE -dBATCHThis produces page-1.png, page-2.png, etc. — one file per page at the resolution you set.
Device options:
| Device | Output |
|---|---|
png16m | 24-bit color PNG (best quality) |
pnggray | Grayscale PNG (smaller files) |
pngmono | Black and white PNG (smallest) |
png256 | 8-bit color PNG |
Method 3: LibreOffice Draw
- Open the PDF in LibreOffice Draw.
- Go to File → Export.
- In the format dropdown, select PNG.
- Set resolution and color mode.
- Click Export — LibreOffice exports the currently visible page.
How to convert a PDF to PNG on iPhone
- Open the PDF in the Files app.
- Long-press the PDF file → Quick Look to preview it.
- Navigate to the page you want.
- Take a screenshot: press Side Button + Volume Up simultaneously.
- The screenshot saves to Photos as a PNG.
For higher quality: zoom in to the page before taking the screenshot — the PNG captures whatever is visible on screen.
Alternatively, use the Shortcuts app:
- Create a new shortcut.
- Add the action “Make Image from PDF Page” (search for it).
- Set the page number and resolution.
- Save the output image to Photos.
How to convert a PDF to PNG online — free
Several browser-based converters handle this without sign-up. Search for “PDF to PNG free” and choose any well-reviewed tool:
- Upload the PDF.
- Choose resolution (72, 150, or 300 DPI).
- Download a ZIP file with one PNG per page.
Privacy note: Your PDF is uploaded to a remote server. For sensitive documents, use Preview, Ghostscript, or LibreOffice locally.
Choosing the right resolution
| Use case | Recommended DPI | Typical file size (per page) |
|---|---|---|
| Web display, email | 72–96 DPI | 100–400 KB |
| Presentations, slides | 150 DPI | 300 KB – 1 MB |
| Print, archiving | 300 DPI | 1–5 MB |
| High-detail graphics | 600 DPI | 5–20 MB |
Higher resolution = larger file and sharper text. 150 DPI is the practical sweet spot for most digital uses.
PNG vs. JPG for PDF conversion
| Feature | PNG | JPG |
|---|---|---|
| Compression | Lossless | Lossy |
| Text sharpness | Crisp at any resolution | Can blur at edges |
| File size | Larger | Smaller |
| Transparency | Supported | Not supported |
| Best for | Documents with text, logos | Photos, full-page images |
Use PNG for documents where text readability matters. Use JPG if file size is the priority and the page is mostly photographic.
Related guides
- How to convert a picture to PDF on iPhone — reverse: image to PDF
- How to crop a PDF for free — trim the page before converting to PNG
- How to compress a PDF for free — reduce the source PDF size first
- How to make a PDF for free — go back from PNG to PDF
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
How do I convert all pages of a PDF to PNG at once?
On Mac, use Automator (see the batch export section above) or Ghostscript. On Windows, use Ghostscript: gs -sDEVICE=png16m -r150 -sOutputFile=page-%d.png input.pdf -dNOPAUSE -dBATCH — produces one file per page named page-1.png, page-2.png, etc.
Why are the PNG images blurry?
The resolution is too low. 72 DPI looks fine on screen at 100% zoom but becomes pixelated when printed or displayed larger. Re-export at 150 or 300 DPI. In Ghostscript, increase -r150 to -r300.
How do I convert a PDF to a single wide PNG (all pages stacked)?
Ghostscript cannot do this directly. Use Python with PyMuPDF:
import fitz
from PIL import Image
doc = fitz.open("input.pdf")
pages = [page.get_pixmap(dpi=150) for page in doc]
imgs = [Image.frombytes("RGB", [p.width, p.height], p.samples) for p in pages]
total_height = sum(img.height for img in imgs)
combined = Image.new("RGB", (imgs[0].width, total_height))
y = 0
for img in imgs:
combined.paste(img, (0, y))
y += img.height
combined.save("combined.png")Can I convert a PDF to PNG without losing the transparent background?
Only if the PDF page has a transparent background — most PDFs have a white background baked in. Export with pngalpha in Ghostscript (-sDEVICE=pngalpha) to preserve any transparency that exists in the source PDF.
Can I save a PDF as a JPEG or PNG?
Yes. On Mac, open the PDF in Preview, go to File → Export, and choose JPEG or PNG from the Format dropdown — you can set the DPI and quality before saving. On Windows, use Ghostscript or an online PDF-to-image converter. PNG preserves any transparency and is lossless; JPEG does not support transparency but produces smaller files and is better suited for photographs.
How can I convert a PDF to PNG on my iPhone?
On iPhone, open the PDF in the Files app, take a screenshot of each page (side button + volume up), then crop the screenshot in the Photos app to remove the status bar. For a cleaner result, use a free PDF-to-image app from the App Store, or open the PDF in Safari and use the Shortcuts app to export pages as images. Note that screenshots are limited to what fits on screen and may not capture full-page content at the edges.