Convert a PDF to grayscale, free, text stays text
Every page in shades of grey for black and white printing: text and drawings are recoloured as they are, so text stays sharp and searchable, and pictures are re-encoded in grey, which often makes the file smaller. Nothing is uploaded.
Drop a PDF to turn grey
PDF · any size · many at once
✓ no upload✓ text stays text✓ no watermark✓ works offline
How grayscale works here
- Drop the PDF. It opens in a worker in your tab.
- Convert. The engine recolours every text and drawing object by its brightness and re-encodes each picture in grey. Grouped content is recoloured operator by operator.
- Download. The result is written fresh and checked before it is offered.
What it does
- Keeps text as text: it stays selectable and searchable.
- Turns each colour into the grey of the same brightness, so contrast is kept.
- Keeps photos as JPEG and other pictures lossless.
What it does not do
- Gradients (shadings) and patterns keep their colour; the result says how many there were.
- It removes a file's password; protect the result again if it needs one.
Questions
Will the text still be searchable?
Yes. Text is recoloured, not turned into a picture.
Will the file get smaller?
Often a little: grey pictures need a third of the data of colour ones. Use Compress PDF for a big saving.
Why is a gradient still in colour?
Gradients and patterns are built differently and are left as they are; the result says when a file has them.
Does my file leave my computer?
No. Everything runs in your browser tab. Nothing is uploaded.