PDF to BMP Converter
Some software reads one picture format only, and it is often BMP. This converter renders each PDF page as an uncompressed Windows bitmap, starting at 96 DPI so the pixel size matches what that software usually expects from a screen-sized image.
PDF to Image
or drop PDF files here ·
Max 95 MB per file· Up to 20 files· Deleted after 30 minutes
Files are processed on our servers and deleted after 30 minutes.
Page numbers or ranges separated by commas, e.g. 1-3, 5.
85 keeps text crisp. Lower it only if the images are too large to upload.
Black & white produces pure black and white pixels, which suits scanned text and keeps files very small.
Each page becomes its own image. A ZIP keeps them together and numbered in page order.
How to use this tool
- 1
Pick the PDF
Upload one PDF or up to 20, each up to 95 MB. Use Pages to limit the export to the one page the other program needs.
- 2
Set the pixel size
Resolution starts at 96 DPI, the classic Windows screen density, which makes an A4 page 794 × 1123 px. Raise it only if the receiving program asks for larger images.
- 3
Convert to BMP
Press Convert to BMP and save the ZIP, or choose separate files under Download as when you need just one page.
BMP stores every pixel as-is, with no compression. That makes it the easiest image for old or simple software to read, and the heaviest file you can make from a PDF page.
26.1 MBOne A4 page as a 24-bit BMP at 300 DPI
What a BMP file is and why it is so large
BMP is Microsoft's bitmap format. Its device-independent form arrived with Windows 3.0 in 1990, and for years it was what Paint saved by default, until Windows 7 switched Paint to PNG. The file is little more than a header followed by rows of pixel values, usually stored bottom row first and padded so each row's length is a multiple of 4 bytes.
Because there is no compression worth mentioning, the size depends only on the pixel count and the bits per pixel. A 24-bit color pixel takes 3 bytes, an 8-bit grayscale or palette pixel 1 byte, and a 1-bit black and white pixel one eighth of a byte. Halving the DPI quarters the file. That is why this page starts at 96 DPI rather than the 150 used for most image exports: the target programs typically display the image at screen size anyway.
Color changes the pixels themselves: Grayscale removes color, and Black & white turns every pixel pure black or white, which suits pages destined for thermal label printers and one-color displays.
PDF to BMP for older Windows software and devices
Programs built with Visual Basic 6, older Delphi versions or MFC frequently load pictures through Windows' own bitmap routines.
- Set Resolution to the pixel size the app's image box expects
- Export only the needed page with Pages
- Check that the app accepts 24-bit color; if not, try Grayscale
Label designers and embroidery digitizing programs often import BMP as a background to trace or print.
- Use Black & white for thermal label printers
- Raise DPI to 200 or 300 for fine stitching detail
- Crop margins in the PDF before converting
Tools that turn images into byte arrays for microcontroller screens usually read BMP because it needs no decoder.
- Lower Resolution until the page matches the screen width
- Black & white matches one-color OLED and e-paper panels
- Convert a single page with First page only
BMP vs PNG for PDF pages
Portable Document Format
PDF was created by Adobe in 1993 and became the open ISO 32000 standard in 2008. It fixes text, fonts, images and layout so a document looks the same on every screen and printer. PDFs can contain forms, signatures, links, attachments and searchable text, and the PDF/A variant is used for long-term archiving. The fixed layout makes PDFs hard to edit, and scanned PDFs contain only images unless OCR is applied. Every browser and operating system can open them.
- Compression
- –
- Transparency
- Yes
- Animation
- No
- Introduced
- 1993 · Adobe
BMP
Bitmap image
BMP is Microsoft's device-independent bitmap format, native to Windows since its early versions. It usually stores pixels uncompressed, so quality is perfect but files are very large compared with PNG or JPEG. Newer BMP versions can hold an alpha channel, but many programs ignore it. The format is simple to read and write, which keeps it alive in older software, embedded systems and some industrial tools. Windows, macOS and nearly every image editor can open BMP files.
- Compression
- Lossless
- Transparency
- Yes
- Animation
- No
- Introduced
- Microsoft
PDF pages are converted to BMP almost always for one program that refuses anything else: an older Windows application, a label or embroidery tool, or a display utility that reads raw bitmaps.
Do not use BMP for sharing
A BMP page is many times larger than the same page as PNG or JPG, and phones, social apps and web forms frequently reject it. If you are not feeding a specific program, our JPG vs JPEG vs PNG guide helps you pick a better format.
PDF to BMP questions
Why would anyone still need a BMP file?
Because older programs were written to read it. Business software from the Windows XP era, many label printer and embroidery tools, and utilities that turn images into data for small LCD screens accept BMP and little else. The format is simple enough that a few dozen lines of code can read it, which is why it survives in such tools.
How large will each BMP page be?
A 24-bit BMP takes 3 bytes per pixel plus a small header. An A4 page at 96 DPI is about 2.7 MB, at 150 DPI about 6.5 MB and at 300 DPI about 26 MB. The page content makes no difference, because nothing is compressed.
Is BMP better quality than PNG?
No. Both are lossless, so a page looks pixel-for-pixel the same in either format. PNG simply compresses the data, which makes it many times smaller. Choose PDF to PNG unless a program specifically demands BMP.
Can BMP keep a transparent page background?
The format has a 32-bit variant with an alpha channel, but few programs honor it, so this page writes the white page background as it appears in the PDF. If you need transparency, PNG or TIFF are the reliable choices.
Will a BMP fit into an email or upload form?
Often not. A few pages at 150 DPI already pass 20 MB, which is above the attachment limits of many mail services. Zip the files before sending, or convert to a compressed format first.
