Convert a PDF to grayscale

Each page is rendered, converted to shades of grey and rebuilt as a PDF at the original page size. It is useful for printing and for shrinking colour scans. Because pages become images, text loses its selectable layer.

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How to use PDF to Grayscale

Select a PDF.
Choose a resolution and quality.
Convert.
Download the grayscale PDF.

Supported formats

Input: PDF
Output: PDF

Why rasterize?

True vector grayscale conversion needs a colour-management engine to rewrite every colour operator. A browser-side render is the reliable alternative, and the trade-off is explained here.

Keeping text searchable

Run OCR PDF on the result to add a text layer.

Privacy

Files you choose are read into your browser’s memory and processed on your device; they are not uploaded to a server. Temporary download links are released after use, and the offline cache never stores your documents. More about privacy and limits.

Frequently asked questions

Will file size shrink?

Often for colour scans; text-only PDFs may grow because pages become images.

What resolution should I choose?

150 dpi for reading, 200+ dpi for printing.