Convert PDF to Grayscale
Turn a colour PDF into black and white to save colour ink, meet print-shop rules, or get a cleaner look, without turning the text into pictures.
Choose a PDF
Conversion
Preview
Upload a PDF to preview it in grayscale.
Converted privately
Colours are changed inside your browser tab, not on a server.
Text stays sharp
Keep text mode leaves text selectable and searchable.
Colour check built in
Leftover colour is detected and reported after converting.
Black and white, with sharp text
Keep text mode rewrites the colours used for text and drawings into matching shades of gray, and converts the images inside the PDF to grayscale. Text stays real text, so it can still be selected, searched and printed sharply.
After converting, the tool renders the first pages and checks for colour left over. Some designs use special colour types that can't be rewritten, and if any colour remains you'll be told and can switch to Pictures mode.
Pictures mode renders every page in grayscale at 100, 150 or 200 DPI. It always gives a fully gray result, but the text becomes part of an image.
How to use it
- 1Upload your PDF.
- 2Choose Keep text (recommended) or Pictures.
- 3For Pictures, pick a resolution.
- 4Click Convert & Download.
Keep text or Pictures?
- Keep text: sharp, searchable text and small files. Use it for reports, forms and letters.
- Pictures: every page comes out fully gray. Handy for heavily designed brochures, at the cost of selectable text.
- 100 DPI keeps files small, 150 DPI is balanced and 200 DPI suits printing.
What may stay in colour
Keep text mode handles normal RGB and CMYK colours and images. Spot colours, gradient shadings defined by formulas, and photos stored as CMYK JPEG are left as they are, because converting them safely in a browser isn't reliable. The automatic check catches these, so you can switch to Pictures mode.
Why people convert to gray
- Print long documents on a laser printer without using colour toner.
- Meet submission rules that require black-and-white documents.
- Check how a design reads for people printing in mono.
Saving toner, in numbers
Colour laser cartridges often cost several times more per page than black. A 60-page report with coloured headings, charts and a logo on every page uses colour toner on every sheet, even if the colour is tiny. Converting first means the printer only needs black, and nothing in the document is lost except the colour itself.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is my file uploaded to a server?
No. The tool runs entirely in your browser tab using JavaScript. Your files never leave your device, and closing the tab discards them.
Will grayscale make my PDF smaller?
Often a little, because grayscale images hold less data than colour ones. To reduce the size further, run the result through Compress PDF.
Why is some colour left in my PDF?
Some designs use spot colours, formula-based gradients or CMYK photos that Keep text mode can't rewrite safely. Choose Pictures mode for a result that is fully gray on every page.
Is the text still selectable?
In Keep text mode, yes. In Pictures mode each page becomes an image, so text can no longer be selected or searched.
Can I convert only some pages?
The whole document is converted. To grayscale part of a file, split out those pages, convert them and merge them back.
Does it work on restricted PDFs?
Keep text mode needs a file without restrictions, so run it through Unlock PDF first. Pictures mode works on restricted files as they are.
How long does it take?
Keep text mode usually finishes in a few seconds, even for long reports, because it rewrites colour settings rather than redrawing pages. Pictures mode renders every page, so a 100-page file can take a minute or two.