How to Convert PDF to JPG (Every Page, Sharp Text, Any Device)
Turn PDF pages into JPG images on Windows, Mac, iPhone or Android. Learn which resolution to pick, when PNG is better, and how to keep text sharp.
By Awais, Founder and editor-in-chiefPublished
To convert a PDF to JPG, open it in a PDF-to-image converter, choose a resolution (150 dpi for screens, 300 dpi for print), and download one JPG per page. Our free PDF to JPG tool does this in your browser on any device, and Mac and iPhone users can also export pages with Apple’s Preview app.
The resolution you choose matters more than the tool. This guide explains how to pick it, then gives the steps for each device.
Why convert a PDF to JPG?
A JPG is an ordinary image. You can post it on social media, drop it into a slide, send it in a chat app that won’t preview PDFs, or upload it to a form that only accepts images. Typical reasons:
- Sharing one page of a menu, flyer or timetable on WhatsApp or Instagram.
- Uploading a certificate to a site that asks for JPG or PNG only.
- Putting a chart or diagram from a report into a presentation.
- Making a preview thumbnail of a document.
Pick the right resolution first
PDF pages are measured in inches or millimetres, not pixels. When a page becomes an image, the converter has to decide how many pixels to use per inch. That number is the resolution, in dots per inch (dpi).
| Resolution | A4 page (8.27 × 11.69 in) | US Letter page (8.5 × 11 in) | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|
| 72 dpi | 595 × 842 px | 612 × 792 px | Small thumbnails only |
| 150 dpi | 1,240 × 1,754 px | 1,275 × 1,650 px | Screens, chat apps, most uploads |
| 300 dpi | 2,480 × 3,508 px | 2,550 × 3,300 px | Printing, small print, zooming in |
Each doubling of the resolution gives four times as many pixels, and a much bigger file. A 300 dpi page has 8.7 million pixels, while the same page at 150 dpi has about 2.2 million. For most phones and laptops, 150 dpi is sharp enough to read normal text. Choose 300 dpi if the page has footnotes or fine print, or if someone will print the image.
JPG or PNG?
JPG uses lossy compression, which is great for photos but can leave faint smudges (artefacts) around sharp black text. PNG is lossless: text and line drawings stay perfectly crisp, but photo-heavy pages make big PNG files.
| Page content | Best format | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Photos, brochures, posters | JPG | Much smaller files, no visible loss at good quality |
| Text, forms, spreadsheets | PNG, or JPG at high quality | Keeps letters clean |
| Diagrams and charts | PNG | Sharp lines and flat colours |
| A form that demands JPG | JPG at quality 85–95 | Meets the rule while keeping text readable |
If a form insists on a small JPG, convert at 150 dpi first, then shrink the image with Compress Image until it fits the limit.
How to convert PDF to JPG online (any device)
- Open PDF to JPG in your browser.
- Choose your PDF or drag it onto the page.
- Pick the image format and resolution, or keep the defaults if you only need to view the pages on screen.
- Choose all pages or only the ones you need.
- Download the images one by one, or all together as a ZIP.
The pages are rendered inside your browser, so the document is not uploaded anywhere. That matters if the PDF is a bank statement, an exam result or an ID scan.
How to convert PDF to JPG on a Mac
Preview can export a page as an image:
- Open the PDF in Preview and go to the page you want.
- Choose File > Export.
- In the Format pop-up menu, choose JPEG (or PNG).
- Use the Quality slider and set the Resolution (try 150 or 300 pixels/inch).
- Click Save.
Apple lists the formats Preview can export to, including JPEG, PNG and HEIC, in its guide to converting file types in Preview. Preview exports one page at a time, so for a 20-page document a converter that handles all pages at once is much quicker.
How to convert PDF to JPG on iPhone and iPad
In Safari: open PDF to JPG, tap to choose the file and pick the PDF from the Files app. The images are saved to the Downloads folder in Files. To get them into the Photos app, open an image, tap the Share button and choose Save Image.
With Preview (iOS 26 and later): Apple’s Preview app on iPhone can export files to JPEG and PNG. Open the PDF in Preview, tap the menu next to the file name, choose Export, and pick an image format.
Quick and rough: a screenshot of a page works for sharing, but it only captures what fits on your screen, at screen resolution. Small print is often unreadable.
How to convert PDF to JPG on Windows
Windows 11 has no built-in PDF-to-image export. Microsoft Edge can display a PDF but cannot save its pages as images. Your options:
- Browser tool. Open PDF to JPG in Edge or Chrome, drag the PDF onto the page, and download the images. This keeps the page at the resolution you choose.
- Snipping Tool. Press Windows + Shift + S, drag a box around part of a page, and save the snip. Like a phone screenshot, the result is limited to your screen’s resolution, so zoom in on the PDF first for a sharper capture.
How to convert PDF to JPG on Android
Android has no built-in converter either.
- Open Chrome and go to PDF to JPG.
- Tap to choose the PDF from Downloads, Google Drive or another app.
- Pick a resolution and download the images. They are saved to your Downloads folder, and most gallery apps will show them.
A screenshot is the quick alternative, with the same quality limits as on iPhone.
Tips for better results
- Start from the original PDF, not a scan of a printout. A PDF exported from Word or a website renders text perfectly at any resolution. A scan can’t be sharper than the scanner made it.
- Don’t go above 300 dpi without a reason. At 600 dpi an A4 page is 4,960 × 7,016 pixels, about 35 million pixels, which is large for most apps and slow to share.
- Convert only the pages you need. If you need two pages from a 100-page file, select just those. See how to split a PDF if you also need a PDF of those pages.
- Going the other way? To turn photos back into a PDF, use JPG to PDF.
- File too big after converting? A 300 dpi JPG of a photo-heavy page can be several MB. Lower the resolution to 150 dpi or compress the image. For PDF files that are too big, see how to compress a PDF.
FAQ
Will converting a PDF to JPG lose quality?
Some, because JPG is lossy and the page becomes a fixed grid of pixels. At 150 to 300 dpi and a quality setting of 85 or more, the loss is hard to see. Use PNG if you need perfectly crisp text.
Can I convert all pages of a PDF to JPG at once?
Yes. A converter like ours creates one image per page and lets you download them all as a ZIP. Preview on a Mac exports only one page at a time.
Is the text in the JPG still searchable?
No. A JPG is a picture of the page, so you can’t select or search its text. Keep the PDF if you need that, or use a text recognition (OCR) tool on the image.
What resolution should I use for Instagram or WhatsApp?
150 dpi is enough. An A4 page at 150 dpi is 1,240 × 1,754 pixels, which is already larger than most apps display.