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Export PDF to Images on Windows: 3 Methods

Turn PDF pages into PNG or JPEG on Windows with Edge, pdftoppm, or a resize pass in GetCompress. Batch slide decks without online splitters.

By Petr Samokhin

You need slide images for design review, a blog figure from a report, or PNG thumbnails for a CMS. The full PDF is the wrong shape for those workflows. Export pages as PNG or JPEG, then resize for screen width. Raw page files are often 2000 to 4000 px wide and too heavy for Teams or email.

When pages as images help

Use caseTypical output
Slide review in Figma or TeamsPNG per slide, about 1920 px wide
Blog figure from a report pageJPEG at display width
LMS thumbnail gridSmaller JPEG
Signed scan archiveKeep the PDF; export only if required

Exporting pages does not replace a compressed PDF for email. Prefer PNG for thin charts and UI text. Prefer JPEG for photo-heavy slides. Dedicated paths: PDF to JPG on Windows , PDF to PNG on Windows . Reverse merge: JPG to PDF on Windows .

Method 1: Export one page in Edge

Best for: One or two pages without installing tools.

  1. Open the PDF in Microsoft Edge.
  2. Go to the page you need.
  3. Use Save as image if your viewer version offers it, or carefully screenshot without UI chrome.
  4. Crop in Photos or Paint if needed.

Limitation: Does not scale to forty slides. Screenshots can pick up browser chrome.

Method 2: Batch with pdftoppm

Best for: Whole decks and predictable filenames for scripts.

winget install poppler
pdftoppm -png deck.pdf deck-page

That creates deck-page-1.png, deck-page-2.png, and so on. For JPEG:

pdftoppm -jpeg -jpegopt quality=85 deck.pdf deck-page

Export pages 3 through 5 only with -f 3 -l 5. Unlock password-protected files in Edge and re-save without security before pdftoppm.

Limitation: No GUI preview. You still need a resize pass for most uploads.

Method 3: Resize and compress in GetCompress

Best for: Making the exported image folder fit Teams, Notion, or SharePoint after Method 1 or 2.

GetCompress does not split PDF pages. Export first, then:

GetCompress image settings for max width, format, and quality on exported PDF pages
  1. Drop the exported PNG or JPEG folder into GetCompress .
  2. Set max width (often 1920 px) and output format.
  3. Preview a chart page and a photo page, then export.
  4. Save a preset if you export decks every week.

Processing stays on your PC. Image compression uses quality and dimensions, not an exact target file size.

Which method should you use

SituationStart here
One chart or slideEdge (or Paint crop)
Whole deck splitpdftoppm
Folder still too large after exportGetCompress

Quick resize with FFmpeg:

winget install --id Gyan.FFmpeg -e
mkdir out
Get-ChildItem deck-page-*.png | ForEach-Object {
 ffmpeg -i $_.Name -vf scale=1920:-2 "out\$($_.Name)"
}

More image options: how to compress images on Windows . To keep one file: how to compress PDF on Windows .

Check before you upload

Spot-check one chart page and one photo page at 100% zoom. Keep full-resolution exports until reviewers approve the resized set. Keep the source PDF as the signed reference when needed.

When a manual Edge save is enough

A manual Edge save can finish a single page when the export already fits the destination.

GetCompress fits after pdftoppm when many pages need the same width and format before upload. It does not replace a PDF editor. Prefer local export for confidential decks instead of online splitters.

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