# Convert a PDF to black and white > To make a PDF grayscale, add the file, pick a picture quality of 150, 200 or 300 DPI and press Make PDF grayscale. Each page is drawn in grey and saved as a picture, so the text can no longer be selected, and the file stays on your device. Page: https://pdfinish.com/grayscale-pdf Last updated: November 3, 2026 ## How to make a PDF grayscale in 3 steps 1. **Add your PDF.** Drop the document onto the tool, or choose it from your device. Colour pages, scans and photos all work. 2. **Pick the picture quality.** 150 DPI suits reading on screen, 200 suits most printing and 300 is for fine print. The note says plainly that the text becomes part of the picture. 3. **Save the grey copy.** Press Make PDF grayscale and download the new file. The result shows its size next to the size of the file you added. ## Key facts - Privacy: We don't sell your data. This tool runs in your browser, so your files stay on your device and are never uploaded. - Ads: none. No third-party ads and no ad cookies. - Limits: 2 free uses in total, no account needed, and no limit on uses with Pro. Files up to 50 MB free, 500 MB with Pro. Limits are checked before a use starts, never after. - Price: free to start. Pro is $2.99 a month or $24 a year. Lifetime is $50 for the first 500 founders. Pro cancels in one click. - Works on: Windows, Mac, iPhone, Android. Nothing to install. - Every page is drawn in shades of grey and saved as a picture in a new PDF, at 150, 200 or 300 DPI. Higher is sharper and a bigger file. - Because the pages become pictures, the text can no longer be selected, copied or searched, and links and form fields are gone. OCR PDF can read the words back in. - The result shows the size before and after. A page with photos can get smaller or larger, depending on the quality you pick. - Your original file is never changed. A digital signature does not survive. ## Save colour ink If you freelance, print a signed contract or an invoice in black and white without burning through colour ink. If you rent out a unit, turn a coloured flyer or notice grey before you print many copies. ## Common questions ### How do I make a PDF grayscale? Add the PDF, choose 150, 200 or 300 DPI, and press Make PDF grayscale. Each page is drawn in grey and saved into a new PDF. Download it from the result screen. ### Is a grayscale PDF the same as black and white? Almost. Grayscale keeps shades of grey, so photos and shading still look right, while true black and white has only black and white dots. This tool makes grayscale. Printers show it in black ink only, which is what most people want. ### Can I still select or search the text? No. To turn colours to grey we draw each page and save it as a picture, so the text becomes part of the picture. Run OCR PDF on the result to get searchable text back. Keep the original if you need the real text. ### Will the file get smaller? It depends. The result screen shows the size before and after. A text page can get larger, because a picture holds more than the words, while a page full of colour photos often gets smaller. Pick 150 DPI for a smaller file. ### Does it work on scanned PDFs? Yes. A scan is already a picture, so it is drawn in grey and the words stay as they were. If the scan had searchable text from OCR, that hidden text is lost, so run OCR PDF again. ### Is my file uploaded when I use Grayscale PDF? No. Your pages are drawn in grey in your browser. The file is not sent to our servers. ### Is Grayscale PDF free, and are there limits? You can use it free. You get 2 free uses in total, no account needed. Free files can be up to 50 MB. Pro has no limit on uses and allows files up to 500 MB. We check the limits before a use starts, so a finished file is never held back. ### Can I use Grayscale PDF on a Windows PC? Yes. Open this page in Chrome or Edge on your PC, add your file and download the result. Nothing to install, and your file stays on your device. ## Related tools - [Compress PDF](https://pdfinish.com/compress-pdf): Shrink a PDF so it is easier to email and upload. - [Multiple Pages per Sheet](https://pdfinish.com/multiple-pages-per-sheet-pdf): Put 2, 4, 6, 9 or 16 pages on one sheet to print on less paper. - [OCR PDF](https://pdfinish.com/ocr-pdf): Make scanned pages searchable and selectable. - [Flatten PDF](https://pdfinish.com/flatten-pdf): Lock form fields and comments into the page, or turn pages into images. - [PDF to JPG](https://pdfinish.com/pdf-to-jpg): Save each PDF page as a JPG image.