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How to convert a PDF to JPG on a Mac

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Open the PDF in PDF Unlimited and choose File > Export > As Images… Pick a folder, choose JPEG or PNG and a resolution of 72, 150 or 300 dpi, and click Export. Every page becomes its own image. For a single page, Preview works too: File > Export, then set Format to JPEG.

With PDF Unlimited (free)

  1. Open the PDF

    Open the document in PDF Unlimited. If you want highlights or a signature in the pictures, add them first; they are included in the export.

  2. Choose Export As Images

    Choose File > Export > As Images…, or press ⇧⌘E.

  3. Pick the format

    Choose JPEG for photos and scans, where small files matter. Choose PNG for text, charts and diagrams, where crisp edges matter.

  4. Pick the resolution

    Choose 72 dpi for quick previews, 150 dpi for screens and email, or 300 dpi for printing and zooming in. The window shows how many images you will get.

  5. Choose a folder and export

    Pick or create a folder and click Export. Each page is saved as its own numbered file, like "Report – 01.jpg", and the folder opens in Finder when it is done.

With Preview, built into macOS

  1. Go to the page

    Open the PDF in Preview and scroll to the page you want as a picture.

  2. Export

    Choose File > Export, then click the Format pop-up menu and choose JPEG. PNG, HEIC and TIFF are there too.

  3. Set quality and save

    Drag the Quality slider and set the resolution if offered, type a name, and click Save. Repeat for each page you need.

JPG or PNG: which to pick

JPEG is great at photos and scanned pages. It throws away detail you will not notice, so files stay small. It is less good at sharp black text on white, where it can leave faint smudges around letters.

PNG keeps every pixel exactly, which suits slides, charts, diagrams and text-heavy pages. The files are bigger. If a website upload form insists on "JPG", pick JPEG. Otherwise, try PNG for anything with lots of text.

What resolution to use

A PDF page has no fixed pixel size, so you choose one when you convert. At 150 dpi a US Letter page comes out at about 1275 by 1650 pixels, which is plenty for a screen. At 300 dpi it is about 2550 by 3300, good for printing or for zooming into small print. 72 dpi is small and fast, fine for thumbnails.

Higher resolution means bigger files. If you are exporting a long document for email, 150 dpi JPEG is usually the sweet spot.

Why Preview gets slow for long PDFs

Preview converts a PDF to an image one page at a time. That is perfect when you need the cover of a report for a slide, and tedious when you need all 30 pages of a menu for a website. PDF Unlimited exports every page in one go, numbered in order, with your annotations baked in.

Only need a few pages? Split the PDF first, then export the smaller file.

Going the other way

If you have images and want a PDF, open them together in Preview and print to PDF, or drop existing PDFs onto Pages mode in PDF Unlimited to combine them. And if you want the words rather than a picture of them, export the text instead: see PDF to text on Mac.

Questions

How do I save a PDF as a JPEG on a Mac?

In PDF Unlimited, choose File > Export > As Images…, pick JPEG and a resolution, and export. In Preview, choose File > Export and set Format to JPEG for the current page.

How do I convert every page of a PDF to JPG?

Use File > Export > As Images… in PDF Unlimited. It saves each page as its own numbered image in the folder you choose. Preview exports one page at a time.

Can I convert a PDF to PNG on a Mac?

Yes. Choose PNG instead of JPEG in the export window of PDF Unlimited or in Preview's Format menu. PNG is better for text and diagrams.

Will my highlights and signature appear in the images?

Yes, in PDF Unlimited. Annotations, notes and signatures are drawn onto each exported image.

Is it safe to use an online PDF to JPG converter?

It means uploading your document to someone else's server. For anything personal, convert on your Mac instead. PDF Unlimited works offline.