How to Convert a PDF to Grayscale for Free (Works on Phones)
Key points
- Choose a PDF
- Pick grayscale or pure black & white
- Check the preview and save
Sometimes you want a color PDF in black and white before monochrome printing, copying or faxing. With Convert a PDF to Grayscale, you can do it from your phone with no sign-up.
Steps
- Tap "Choose a PDF" and select one PDF.
- Choose the mode.
- Grayscale: keeps shades of gray. Good for photos and figures.
- Pure black & white: only white and black. Good for text-only documents.
- Choose the resolution. If unsure, use "Standard (150 dpi)".
- Tap "Convert". Check the preview and save the PDF.
The original is not changed
Your original PDF stays as it is. The monochrome PDF is saved separately.
Pages are turned into images, so text can no longer be selected or searched.
Use "Convert a PDF to Grayscale (Black & White)" (free)
Tools that go well with this
- Compress PDF: Shrink a PDF to fit under a size you choose, for upload limits.
- Combine PDF Pages onto One Sheet (2-up, 4-up): Arrange several PDF pages on one A4 sheet (2, 4, 6, 8 or 9 up) to save paper when printing.
- PDF to Images: Save each page of a PDF as a JPEG or PNG image.
More guides for this tool
- Grayscale or Pure Black & White: Differences and When to Use Each
- Making Color Documents Readable in Black & White Printing
- Making a PDF Black & White Before Fax or Copying
- PDF Got Bigger After Converting to B&W? How to Reduce the Size
- Making Scanned Documents Black & White: Readability vs. Size
- Troubleshooting Monochrome PDFs: Faint, Broken Text, Cannot Select Text