Convert PDF to Grayscale

About Grayscale PDF

Colour printing costs several times what black-and-white does, and colour scans are needlessly large. Converting to grayscale usually cuts the file size substantially as a bonus.

How to grayscale PDF

1. 1

   Drop your PDF files onto the box above, or click to browse for them.

2. 2

   Adjust the settings if the defaults are not what you need.

3. 3

   Press Grayscale PDF. The work happens on your device, so the time it takes depends on your machine rather than a queue.

4. 4

   Download the result. Nothing is stored, so grab it before you close the tab.

Questions about grayscale PDF

Does this affect text selection?

Yes — pages are re-rendered as grayscale images, so the text is no longer selectable. If you need both grayscale and searchable text, run the OCR tool on the result to add the text layer back.

Is Grayscale PDF really free?

Yes — every tool on PDF Love is free, with no account, no email, no trial period, and no watermark stamped on your output. There is no file-count limit and no daily quota.

What happens to my files?

They never leave your device. This tool runs entirely inside your browser using WebAssembly, so your file is read from local memory, processed locally, and handed straight back. Nothing is uploaded, which is why it still works with your Wi-Fi switched off.

Is there a file size limit?

There is no limit imposed by us. Because the work happens on your own device, the practical ceiling is your available memory — comfortably a few hundred megabytes on a normal laptop or phone.

Does it work on a phone or tablet?

Yes. The site is built mobile-first and works in any modern browser on iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, and Linux. There is nothing to install.