Convert a PDF to grayscale
Save color toner, meet a “black and white only” submission rule, or check how a design reads without color.
Drop a PDF file here
Free · no signup · no watermark · files stay on this device · how local processing works
How to use Grayscale PDF
- Open the PDFColor pages are previewed as thumbnails.
- Choose resolution150 dpi suits screens and office printing; 220 dpi for sharper print.
- ConvertDownload the black-and-white PDF.
How the conversion works
Every page is rendered at the chosen resolution and converted with the standard luminance weights (0.299 red, 0.587 green, 0.114 blue), which keep perceived brightness — a red heading stays darker than a yellow highlight. Each page is then saved as a grayscale image page.
Trade-off to know about
Because pages become images, text in the result is no longer selectable. If you need searchable grayscale output, run the converted file through OCR PDF. For pure printing, most printer drivers also have a grayscale switch — this tool is for when you need the file itself to be gray.
Good uses and bad uses
Grayscale is ideal for documents headed to a black-and-white office printer or fax-style archive: colour photos and logos often print muddy, while a deliberate grayscale conversion gives even tones. It is a poor choice for a file people need to search or copy from — because each page becomes an image, run OCR PDF afterwards if you need the text back.
Need more than one step? The Workbench runs Grayscale PDF together with other operations on the same file in one go — for example merge → compress → protect.
Questions about Grayscale PDF
Will the file get smaller?
Often, for color-heavy documents. Text-only PDFs can grow, since text becomes pixels.
Which resolution should I pick?
150 dpi for reading and normal printing; 220 dpi for small print or fine diagrams; 110 dpi for the smallest files.
Does grayscale conversion happen on my device?
Yes — pdf.js draws each page into an off-screen canvas in your browser, the colour is removed there, and pdf-lib assembles the new PDF locally. No page image leaves the tab.
Do links and form fields keep working?
No. Because each page is redrawn as an image, clickable links and fillable fields become part of the picture. Keep the colour original for on-screen use and send the grayscale copy to the printer.