# Convert a PDF to Grayscale

Upload portals ask for black-and-white scans, printers charge for colour, and grey scans are smaller. Turn any PDF grey here, keeping its text sharp and selectable.

_Source: https://sharelargefilesfree.com/tools/grayscale-pdf · Updated 2026-09-29_

**Quick answer:** To convert a PDF to grayscale, choose it here and press Convert to grayscale. “Keep text” turns colours and photos grey while text stays selectable; “Scan-style” redraws every page as a grey image, which is always fully grey and the smallest option for scanned documents. Nothing is uploaded.

## How to use it

1. Choose one or more PDFs.
2. Keep “Keep text” for documents, or pick “Scan-style” for scans and upload forms.
3. Press Convert to grayscale.
4. Check the result on the page, then download it or send it with a link.

## Two methods

| | Keep text | Scan-style |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Text | Stays sharp and selectable | Becomes part of the page image |
| Photos | Re-saved in grey | Redrawn in grey |
| Everything grey? | Almost always; gradients and special print colours can stay in colour | Always |
| Best for | Reports, contracts, slides | Scans, photos of documents, upload portals |

## Does grayscale make a PDF smaller?

Usually, yes, for scans and photo-heavy files: a grey page carries far less colour information. For typed documents the size hardly changes, because text is tiny either way. If you need to hit a size limit, combine it with [Compress PDF](https://sharelargefilesfree.com/tools/compress-pdf) or [Compress PDF to 100 KB](https://sharelargefilesfree.com/tools/compress-pdf-to-100kb).

## Printing in black and white

Most printers can print in grayscale on their own, but a grey PDF guarantees it: no colour cartridge is touched, and coloured text or light-coloured highlights come out as clear shades of grey instead of faint dots. It is also what many government, visa and exam portals ask for when they say “black and white scan”.

## Private, on your device

The PDF is converted in your browser with pdf-lib and pdf.js and is never uploaded. That matters for IDs, bank statements and signed contracts.

## Frequently asked questions

### How do I make a PDF black and white?

Choose it here and press Convert to grayscale. Keep text leaves text selectable; Scan-style makes every page a grey image.

### Why is something still in colour?

Keep text changes normal colours and photos but not gradients or special print colours. Use Scan-style for a fully grey result.

### Will the text still be searchable?

With Keep text, yes. With Scan-style, no: pages become images.

### Is my PDF uploaded?

No. It is converted in your browser on your device.