How to convert a PDF to PNG on a Mac
By Himanshu Ranjan · Updated 8 November 2026
To convert a PDF to PNG on a Mac, select it and run Convert › PDF to PNG in FileDial, which writes one PNG per page at 150 dpi. For a single page in Preview, choose File › Export and select a format. Both work offline, with no upload and no account.
What you get
Convert › PDF to PNG renders each page as a PNG image, one file per page, at 150 dpi. Dots per inch measures how many dots of detail fit in an inch of the image; more dots mean a sharper picture and a bigger file. At 150 dpi a page is readable on a screen and fine for slides and web use, though it is not what you want for fine print or large posters.
PNG is a lossless format: it compresses without throwing detail away, so edges and text stay crisp. That makes it the right choice for pages with diagrams, tables, screenshots or small type. The price is size. A full-page photo saved as PNG is far larger than the same page as a JPG.
Convert with FileDial
Select the PDF and run the tool once; every page becomes its own file.
- Select the PDF in Finder.
- Hold the right Option key to open the dial and choose the Convert category.
- Release on Convert › PDF to PNG.
- Open the PNG files and check the first page and one with the smallest text.
- Use Undo on the result card if you want them removed.
PNG, JPG or something sharper
FileDial has three page-to-image tools: Convert › PDF to JPG at 150 dpi, Convert › PDF to JPG (300 dpi), and Convert › PDF to PNG at 150 dpi. Choose by the content and the destination. For a text-heavy page going into a slide or a document, PNG avoids the fuzz that JPG can put around letters. For photos going on a web page, JPG is smaller.
If you need PNG at higher resolution, the PNG tool is fixed at 150 dpi, per its note, so for high-resolution output the 300 dpi JPG is the sharper option, with the usual trade-off that JPG is lossy. If you want a deeper comparison of JPG, see our PDF to JPG guide.
Preview exports an open document through File › Export, where the Format pop-up lets you pick a file type. Apple's page describes the general steps but does not detail single-page export, so check what your version offers: with a multi-page PDF it may save only the page you are on. For many pages, selecting the file and running one tool is quicker and consistent.
- Diagrams, tables, screenshots: PNG.
- Photographs: JPG.
- Print-quality pages: PDF to JPG (300 dpi).
- Embedded pictures only: Extract images.
Pages as pictures lose their text
An image of a page cannot be searched or selected. If you need the words, extract text instead with Convert › PDF to Text, or OCR the images later. If you only need part of a page, such as a chart, export the page and crop in an image editor, or use Preview's Rectangular Selection to copy that part.
Also remember that PNG pages have no security: anyone can see everything on the page. If the PDF was password protected, you would need to unlock it first with Sign & Lock › Remove password…
A worked example: a report page for a slide deck
You need page 7 of a quarterly report, a table with small numbers, on slide 12. Run Organize › Extract pages… with page 7 to make a one-page PDF, then Convert › PDF to PNG. You get one 150 dpi PNG with crisp table lines. Drop it into Keynote or PowerPoint and look at it full screen on the projector, if you can; small numbers are the first thing to fail.
If the numbers are too small at 150 dpi, make a 300 dpi JPG from the same one-page PDF and compare. A cleaner route for a table is Convert › PDF to Excel followed by a native table in the slide, which stays editable and sharp at any size. Pictures of tables are a last resort, because nobody can copy numbers out of them.
Common mistakes
Using PNG for photo-heavy pages is the classic one: a 40-page brochure in PNG can be enormous. Using the 150 dpi PNG for print is the second; text that looks sharp on screen can look soft on paper. The third is converting a long PDF and then not knowing which file is which; the output names follow the page order, so keep them in their own folder. The fourth is forgetting that images cannot be searched, and discarding the PDF afterwards. Keep the PDF.
Where PNG pages are used
Common uses are slides, where PNG pages sit cleanly behind text; documentation, where a PDF page is shown as an illustration; and social posts or messages where a PDF cannot be attached. For presentations with editable text, Convert › PDF to PowerPoint is better. For e-readers, Convert › PDF to EPUB makes a reflowable book.
Pages exported as images are usually the finished things you are about to publish or share. Converting locally keeps the PDF off a stranger's server. FileDial converted a 42 MB PDF into images in about 2 seconds in our measured test.
Questions
What resolution are the PNGs from FileDial?
Convert › PDF to PNG writes one PNG per page at 150 dpi. If you need a sharper image, Convert › PDF to JPG (300 dpi) renders at 300 dpi, though as a lossy JPG. Choose based on whether sharpness or lossless edges matters more.
Is PNG better than JPG for PDF pages?
For pages with text, diagrams or sharp lines, PNG is cleaner because it is lossless, but the files are larger. For pages that are mostly photographs, JPG is much smaller with little visible difference. Pick by content, not habit. Check the result before relying on it.
Can I turn only one page of a PDF into PNG?
FileDial's tool converts every page. To get one page, first run Organize › Extract pages… to make a one-page PDF, then convert it. In Preview, File › Export lets you choose an image format for the document you have open. Check the result before relying on it.