Candid Tools

Grayscale PDF

Grayscale PDF re-renders each page with pdf.js as a grayscale or black and white image and rebuilds the PDF with pdf-lib in your browser, with no upload.

Choose a PDF or drop it here

PDF file. Stays on your device, never uploaded.

At a glance

Accepts
One PDF file
Outputs
A PDF of grayscale JPEG pages at 100-300 DPI, same page sizes
Where it runs
Entirely in your browser, on your device
What leaves your device
Nothing - the file never leaves your device
Limits
No size or count cap; bounded by your device's memory; text becomes an image, so it is no longer selectable or searchable
Account
Not required - there is no sign-up
Price
Free, with no watermark and no usage cap
Made by
Visrut
Last updated
11 November 2026

Grayscale PDF turns a colour PDF into shades of gray, or into pure black and white, so it prints cheaply or meets a form's "black and white only" rule. Each page is rendered with pdf.js at the resolution you pick, converted to gray and saved as a JPEG inside a new PDF built with pdf-lib. Everything runs in this browser tab; the file is never uploaded.

How to use it

  1. Choose a PDF or drop it here.
  2. Pick Grayscale, or Black & white for pure black on white.
  3. Pick a quality. 150 DPI suits most documents; 300 DPI keeps small print sharp.
  4. Click "Convert & download PDF".

Frequently asked questions

Is my PDF uploaded?

No. Rendering and rebuilding both happen in your browser. The file stays on your device.

Can I still select and search the text afterwards?

No. Each page becomes an image, so text is no longer selectable or searchable and links stop working. Rewriting the colours inside the PDF itself, keeping the text, is much harder to get right across real-world PDFs, so this tool does not try. Run the result through an OCR tool if you need searchable text again.

Why is the file bigger than the original?

A text PDF stores letters, which are tiny. Images of pages are larger, especially at 300 DPI. Choose 100 or 150 DPI for a smaller file.

What is the difference between Grayscale and Black & white?

Grayscale keeps shades, so photos and highlighted text still read well. Black & white turns every pixel fully black or fully white, which is crisp for plain text but loses light colours and photo detail.

Will page sizes stay the same?

Yes. Every page keeps its size and orientation as a PDF viewer shows it.