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How to convert PNG to PDF on a Mac

By DeckleUpdated

To convert PNG to PDF on a Mac, open PNG to PDF in your browser, drop the PNG files onto the page, put them in order, choose Fit inside A4 or Match each image and choose Create PDF. Each PNG becomes one page with its pixels kept exactly, so screenshots and diagrams stay sharp. Your PNG files are not changed. The Finder and Preview offer built-in ways too, described below.

PNG to PDF
Illustrated document pages containing a chart, photograph and text.
Illustration · a document can contain more than its visible pages.

How to convert PNG to PDF on a Mac with Deckle

  1. Open PNG to PDF in Safari, Chrome or Firefox.
  2. Drag the PNG files from the Finder or the desktop onto the page, or choose Select files.
  3. Under Images to include, check the ticks and use the up and down arrows to set the order.
  4. Press the rotate button on any image that needs turning.
  5. Under Page size, choose Fit inside A4 for printable pages, then set Orientation and Margin. Choose Match each image to keep each page the size of its image.
  6. Optional: set Output PDF name.
  7. Choose Create PDF and download the file.

The result screen confirms how many pages the PDF has, one per ticked PNG.

Screenshots need Fit inside A4

macOS screenshots are usually PNG files at full screen resolution. On macOS Tahoe 26, Apple's Take a screenshot on your Mac page notes that HDR captures use HEIF instead; convert those with HEIC to PDF. With Match each image, one pixel becomes one point, so a 2880 × 1800 screenshot from a Retina display becomes a page 40 inches wide. That looks fine on screen but prints at a tiny scale.

For anything that will be printed, emailed as a document or uploaded to a form, choose Fit inside A4:

Screenshot shape Orientation
Full window or full screen Landscape
Phone screenshot or a tall web page Portrait

The image shrinks to fit the page without being cropped, and you can zoom in on the PDF to see every pixel.

What PNG to PDF keeps

  • Lossless pixels. PNG data is stored with lossless compression, so text in screenshots and thin lines in diagrams have no JPEG artefacts.
  • Transparency. Transparent areas stay transparent, so whatever the viewer draws behind the page shows through. On a white page they look white.
  • The image, not the text. Words in a screenshot are part of the picture. They are not selectable or searchable in the PDF.

Animated, interlaced and 16-bit PNGs are refused. Re-save them as standard 8-bit PNGs first. For photos saved as JPEG, use JPG to PDF instead; see how to convert JPG to PDF on a Mac.

Convert PNG to PDF with the Finder

Apple's page Combine files into a PDF on Mac describes the Create PDF Quick Action:

  1. Select the PNG files in the Finder, in the order you want them.
  2. Control-click and choose Quick Actions > Create PDF.

The pages follow your selection order, and the PDF takes the name of the first file. There is no page size setting.

Convert PNG to PDF with Preview

Following Convert image file types using Preview on Mac:

  1. Open the PNG in Preview. For several images, open them in one window and select them in the sidebar.
  2. Choose File > Export, then choose PDF from Format.
  3. Save the file.

Tips

  • Name screenshots before converting. macOS names them by date and time. A descriptive name helps when you build a step-by-step PDF.
  • Keep screenshots in order. The list follows the order you added files. Use the arrows to fix it before creating the PDF.
  • Combine with other documents. Merge the screenshot PDF with a report in Merge PDFs.
  • Take a window screenshot on a large display. Each page keeps up to 16 megapixels on a Mac. A 6K display screenshot is over that and is scaled down, which can soften small text; a window screenshot stays sharp.

Frequently asked questions

Is PNG to PDF lossless?

Yes. The pixels are kept exactly and stored with lossless compression.

Why is my PDF page so large?

You chose Match each image, which makes each page the size of the image in pixels. Choose Fit inside A4.

Can I search the text of my screenshots in the PDF?

No. The page holds an image. Deckle's PDF to text works only on PDFs that already contain text.

Can I mix PNG and JPG files in one PDF?

Convert each format with its own tool, then combine the two PDFs in Merge PDFs.

Related tools

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