How to Convert a PDF to JPG on Mac

Convert PDF pages to images when the place you're sending them only accepts pictures, or when you want to show one page without sending the whole file.

Upload forms that ask for JPG, chat apps that preview images but not PDFs, and websites that need a thumbnail of a document are the usual reasons. The trade-off is that text becomes pixels: it looks the same, but it can't be searched or selected anymore.

Preview converts the page you're viewing: choose File > Export, set Format to JPEG, adjust the quality and resolution, and save.

With a multi-page PDF that gives you one image, so you repeat it for every page. Automator can do better: a Quick Action built around its Render PDF Pages as Images action turns every page into an image, but you have to build and test the workflow first, and you'll set the format and resolution inside it.

File Acture's PDF to Images turns every page, or a range of pages, into separate image files in one run.

Choose a Format: JPEG, PNG or WebP, plus HEIC and AVIF on Macs whose system can write them. Pick a Resolution of 72 DPI — screen, 150 DPI — standard or 300 DPI — print, and set Quality for JPEG and the other lossy formats. Leave Pages empty for every page, or type ranges such as 1-3, 5.

Each PDF gets its own folder named after it with “(images)” at the end, and the files are numbered like “Report - page 01.jpg” so they sort in page order. Transparent areas become white, and your PDF stays unchanged. You can convert several PDFs in one run, and nothing is uploaded.

For most uses, 150 DPI is the right resolution: sharp on screens and small enough to email.

• 72 DPI: previews and thumbnails. An A4 page becomes about 595 × 842 pixels.
• 150 DPI: screens, email and most upload forms. An A4 page becomes about 1240 × 1754 pixels, a US Letter page 1275 × 1650.
• 300 DPI: printing. An A4 page becomes about 2480 × 3508 pixels, and files get several times larger.

Pick JPG for scans and photo-heavy pages, PNG for pages of small text or line art, and WebP when you want the smallest files for a website.

JPG handles photos well and opens everywhere. PNG is lossless, so thin lines and small type stay crisp, but files are bigger. WebP usually gives smaller files than JPG at similar quality and works in all modern browsers, though some upload forms still only take JPG or PNG.

To convert only some pages, type them in Pages as numbers and ranges, such as 1, 3-5, and File Acture skips the rest.

Each image keeps its page number in the name, so page 7 of a 12-page report becomes “Report - page 07.jpg” and you can always tell where an image came from. If a JPG looks soft when you zoom in, convert that page again at 300 DPI, or as PNG when it's mostly text.

Set the page range, unlock protected PDFs and plan for size limits before you convert, and one run is enough.

• Only one page? Type its number in Pages, such as 4.
• Locked PDFs: a PDF that needs a password to open must be unlocked first with Unlock PDF.
• Too big for a form? Compress the images to a target size such as 500 KB.
• Need the page as a PDF instead? Use Split PDF to save it as its own file.
• Going the other way? Convert images to PDF.
• Batches: the free version converts up to 5 PDFs per run, with 3 runs on each Mac; see pricing for Pro.