How to Extract Images from a PDF

To extract images from a PDF, open the Extract Images from PDF tool, choose your file, pick how small a picture can be before it is skipped, tap Extract the pictures and download them. Photos that are stored as JPEG come out as the exact same file that was put into the PDF.

You can save one picture or take them all in a ZIP file. The PDF is read inside your browser, so it is not uploaded.

What you need

• The PDF on your phone or computer
• A PDF that really holds pictures, such as a brochure, a report with photos, or a scanned album. A PDF made only of text has nothing to extract.
• About a minute

Steps to extract images from a PDF

1. Open the Extract Images from PDF tool, tap the box and choose your PDF. The file stays on your device.
2. Read the line under the options. It says how many pictures the PDF holds and how many will be saved.
3. Under Skip small pictures, keep Skip pictures under 100 pixels, or choose another limit. Choose Keep every picture if you also want icons and logos.
4. Tap Extract the pictures. The tool saves them one by one and shows a progress bar.
5. In the list, each picture has a small preview, the page it came from and its size. Tap Download on one picture, or tap Download all as ZIP.
6. Open a picture and check it. If one is missing, lower the size limit and try again.

JPG or PNG: what you get

• Photos stored as JPEG come out unchanged. The tool copies the JPEG data out of the PDF exactly as it is, with no new compression. The file is the one that was put into the PDF, so there is no loss of quality.
• Everything else is saved as PNG. Pictures in other formats are decoded and saved at their own pixel size. PNG keeps every pixel, so it is a faithful copy, and it keeps see-through parts. These files can be larger than a JPG of the same picture.

The note under each picture says which kind it is. If you want a smaller file afterwards, use Compress Image, or Convert Image to change the format. Our guide on JPG, PNG and WebP explains which to choose.

Why small pictures are skipped

Many PDFs hold dozens of tiny pictures: icons, bullets, small logos and thin lines used to build the page. They would bury the photos you want. The size limit leaves out any picture whose width or height is under it. The default is 100 pixels, which removes most of this clutter. If a picture you want is missing, choose a lower limit.

A picture that appears on several pages is saved once, and its note lists the pages.

When the tool finds no pictures

Some PDFs have no separate pictures, and the page tells you so. This happens when:

• the pages are made of text and shapes, such as a document from a word processor
• each page is stored as one scan that is not a separate picture
• the pictures are part of the page drawing in a way that cannot be taken out as a file

In that case, save the pages as pictures instead with PDF to JPG or PDF to PNG. Our guides on converting a PDF to JPG and converting a PDF to PNG explain the steps. If you want the words, use Image to Text.

Things to know

• Pictures with a mask. Some pictures have a soft or transparent edge stored separately. A PNG keeps this. A JPEG that has a mask is saved as the original JPEG, and the note says the mask is not included.
• CMYK photos. Some print files hold photos in CMYK colours. They are saved unchanged, and a few programs show their colours a little differently.
• Very large pictures. A picture bigger than a phone browser can draw is saved a little smaller, and the page tells you.
• Permission. Pictures in a PDF may belong to someone else. Use them only where you have the right to.

Common problems

It says the PDF is protected or could not be read. A password-protected PDF cannot be opened in the browser. If you know the password, remove it first with Unlock PDF.

Nothing was found, but I can see a photo on the page. The photo may be part of a scanned page, or drawn in a way that cannot be taken out. Use PDF to JPG or PDF to PNG to save the page.

Too many small files. Raise the size limit, for example to 200 or 400 pixels.

A picture looks different from the page. The page may have drawn it with a crop, a rotation or a tint on top. The tool saves the stored picture, not the way the page shows it.

Frequently asked questions

Do the extracted pictures lose quality?

No. JPEG photos are copied out byte for byte. Other pictures are saved as PNG at their own pixel size, which keeps every pixel.

Why did I get fewer pictures than I expected?

Small pictures are skipped by default, and pictures that are stored in unusual ways may not be found. Choose Keep every picture to see everything the tool can find.

Can I get the whole page as a picture instead?

Yes. Use PDF to JPG or PDF to PNG. They draw each page as a picture, including its text.

Are my PDF and pictures uploaded?

No. The PDF is opened and its pictures are saved inside your browser, on your device. Nothing goes to our servers or anyone else.

Can I extract images from a scanned PDF?

Often yes. If each page is stored as one big picture, it shows up in the list as one picture per page. If the scan is not stored as a separate picture, use PDF to JPG instead.