Convert a PDF to greyscale
Turn a colour PDF into greyscale (black and white) so it prints cleanly and saves colour ink. Choose the resolution and convert on your own device.
or drop a file here
One PDF, up to 250 MB.
Processed on your device. Nothing is uploaded.
How to convert a PDF to greyscale
Open the PDF
A greyscale preview of the first page appears.
Choose a resolution
150 DPI suits most documents; 300 DPI keeps small print crisp.
Convert
Each page is rendered and converted to shades of grey.
Download
Save the greyscale PDF, ready for printing.
Key features
Complete conversion
Everything on the page turns grey, including photos, charts, shading and transparent elements, which colour-swapping methods often miss.
Perceptual weighting
Colours are converted using standard luminance weights, so a red heading and a green chart line stay distinguishable.
Choice of quality
Pick a resolution that suits whether you’ll read on screen or print.
Smaller scans
Colour scans often get smaller when converted, because greyscale images compress better.
How this conversion works
A PDF can describe colour in many ways: text colours, images, gradients, transparency groups and embedded colour profiles. Changing each of these individually is error-prone and often leaves stray colour behind. To guarantee a fully greyscale result, this tool renders each page and saves it as a greyscale image.
The trade-off is that text in the output becomes part of the image, so it can’t be selected, searched or copied. If you only need to print in black and white, your printer’s “greyscale” setting may be enough and keeps the original intact. For smaller files, see Compress PDF.
Security and privacy
Greyscale PDF runs entirely in your browser. Your file is processed in this tab’s memory and never uploaded to PDF365 or anyone else. When you close the tab or press “Start over”, the data is discarded.
Read more in our privacy policy.
Questions about Greyscale PDF
Will I still be able to select text?
No. Pages are converted to greyscale images, so the result behaves like a scan. Keep your original if you need selectable text.
What resolution should I use?
150 DPI is fine for normal documents. Choose 300 DPI for fine print, technical drawings or anything you might zoom into.
Is it “grayscale” or “greyscale”?
Both. “Greyscale” is the usual British spelling and “grayscale” the American one; they mean the same thing.