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Convert PDF to PNG on Windows: 3 Methods

Export PDF pages as PNG on Windows with Edge, pdftoppm, or a GetCompress resize pass. Keep text and charts crisp for design review.

By Petr Samokhin

Stakeholders annotate slides as PNG layers, not as a locked PDF. Exporting pages locally keeps roadmap decks off public converter sites. PNG preserves thin chart lines better than JPEG. Plan to resize to about 1920 px before Teams upload; full pdftoppm output is often wider.

When PNG beats JPEG from PDF

Use caseOutput
Design reviewPNG per slide
Chart with gradientsPNG avoids JPEG banding
Photo slide PDF to JPG on Windows may suffice
EmailResize first

Overview: PDF to images on Windows . Merge back: PNG to PDF on Windows .

Method 1: Export one page in Edge

Best for: One chart or slide.

  1. Open the PDF in Microsoft Edge.
  2. Go to the page you need.
  3. Use Save as image if available, or screenshot carefully.
  4. Crop in Paint if needed.

Limitation: Manual only. Easy to capture UI chrome.

Method 2: Batch with pdftoppm

Best for: Whole decks.

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

Subset:

pdftoppm -png -f 2 -l 10 deck.pdf deck-page

Remove PDF passwords before batch export. Convert selected pages to JPEG later with PNG to JPG on Windows when needed.

Limitation: No GUI. Raw PNG folders often exceed SharePoint limits.

Method 3: Resize PNG pages in GetCompress

Best for: Same max width across a full deck folder.

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

GetCompress image settings for PNG optimization and max width on exported PDF pages
  1. Drop the PNG folder into GetCompress .
  2. Set max width; keep PNG or convert some pages to JPEG / WebP when size is tight.
  3. Preview thin lines, then export.
  4. Save a preset for recurring exports.

Image jobs use quality and dimensions, not an exact target file size.

Which method should you use

SituationStart here
One pageEdge
Whole deckpdftoppm
Folder still too largeGetCompress

FFmpeg resize:

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

Photo slides only: PDF to JPG on Windows .

Check before you upload

Spot-check one chart page and one photo page. Keep full\ and web\ folders separate. Soft text usually means the width cap was too aggressive.

When a manual Edge save is enough

A manual Edge save can finish a single sharp PNG send.

GetCompress fits after batch export when many pages need consistent delivery sizing. It does not replace a design tool or PDF editor. Prefer local export for confidential decks.

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