PDFs and conversion

How to convert a PDF to JPG on a Mac

Updated 25 October 2026 · 3 min read

Preview exports one PDF page at a time as a JPG. How to do it, how to convert every page with Automator or Shortcuts, and how Orrel saves each page as an image.

Some forms only accept images, some chat apps show a JPG inline but a PDF as an attachment, and slide decks are easier to drop into other documents as pictures. macOS can turn a PDF page into a JPG with no extra software. The catch is that the obvious way does one page at a time.

Preview, one page at a time

1. Open the PDF in Preview and go to the page you want. With View › Thumbnails on, click its thumbnail.
2. Choose File › Export.
3. Set Format to JPEG. PNG, HEIC and TIFF are in the same menu.
4. Drag the Quality slider and set Resolution in pixels per inch. 150 is fine for screens; 300 for print.
5. Click Save.

Preview exports only the current page as an image. For a three-page document, repeat it three times. For thirty, use one of the methods below.

Every page with Automator

Automator, in Applications, has a Render PDF Pages as Images action that converts every page in one go. To make it a right-click option in Finder:

1. Open Automator and choose New Document › Quick Action.
2. At the top, set "Workflow receives current" to PDF files in Finder.
3. Drag in Render PDF Pages as Images from the PDFs section. Choose JPEG, a colour model and a resolution.
4. Drag in Move Finder Items and choose a folder. Render PDF Pages as Images writes to a temporary folder, so without this step you will not find the images.
5. Save it with a name such as "PDF to JPG".

It then appears when you Control-click a PDF and choose Quick Actions.

Every page with Shortcuts

In the Shortcuts app, make a shortcut that receives PDFs from Quick Actions, then add Make Image from PDF Page, Convert Image (set to JPEG) and Save File. Turn on Use as Quick Action in the shortcut's details. Shortcuts asks where to save each time unless you set a folder in Save File.

How Orrel does it

Control-click a PDF in Orrel, drop it on Orrel's Dock icon, or choose Orrel from Finder's Quick Actions, then choose JPEG or PNG from the ring.

• Every page, each its own file. Pages are saved into a new folder named after the PDF with "pages" added, numbered in order (report 01.jpg, report 02.jpg and so on) so they sort correctly.
• Two resolutions. 150 dpi for screens or 300 dpi for print.
• Original kept. The PDF is not changed.
• Text instead. If what you need is the words rather than a picture, Extract Text saves the PDF's text layer as a plain text file.

Where Orrel stops

Orrel converts every page; there is no page range, so for one page from a long PDF, Preview's Export is quicker, or extract that page first. Page images come out as JPEG or PNG only, at 150 or 300 dpi. A password-protected PDF has to be unlocked first; see how to remove a password from a PDF. Extract Text only works when the PDF has a text layer, so a scan gives nothing.