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PPDF123

Extract Images From a PDF

Extract Images pulls the embedded raster images out of a PDF and delivers them in a ZIP as PNG or JPEG files. Vector drawings and page text are not images and are not included.

Drag and drop files here, or click to choose

Accepts PDF · up to 500.0 MB per file · up to 20 files at once

You can also paste a file with Ctrl/Cmd+V, or from the clipboard menu.

Extract Images walks page XObject images, decodes Flate/ASCII85/DCT streams, and zips them as `image_N.png` or `image_N.jpeg`. The `format` field chooses png (default) or jpeg. Shared XObjects are extracted once.

LZW-filtered images return an internal error (`LZW images unsupported`). Pages without an XObject dict are skipped. A file with no extractable images still returns a ZIP, which may be empty of members you care about.

This is not rendering each page to a PNG (that is PDF to Images) and not OCR. Vector art is not an image XObject and will not appear.

Password-protected files are unlocked for you on this page once you enter the password; API callers run Unlock first.

Features

  • XObject images to a ZIP of PNG or JPEG
  • Dedupes by object id; LZW unsupported
  • Not page rasterization and not OCR
  • Anonymous API at /api/v1/misc/extract-images

When to use this tool

  • Pull photos out of a born-digital report
  • Recover JPEG photo streams without re-encoding when format=jpeg
  • Avoid rasterizing whole pages when you only want the figures

How do I extract images from a PDF?

  1. Upload a PDF that embeds photos or raster figures.
  2. Keep PNG or choose JPEG.
  3. Click Process and download `{name}_extracted_images.zip`.
  4. If the ZIP is empty of useful files, the PDF had no decodable image XObjects.

Limits and edge cases

  • Not a page renderer
  • LZW fails the job
  • PNG output is RGB, so transparency and soft masks are dropped
  • No OCR
  • Upload limit on this website: 500 MB per file, sent in chunks above about 95 MB. A single direct API request body is capped at 100 MB.

Examples

  • A PDF with three unique photo XObjects yields image_1 through image_3 in the ZIP
  • A vector logo page may contribute nothing

Privacy for this tool

Files are uploaded over HTTPS, processed in memory or a short-lived temporary directory on our servers, and deleted when your result is ready. We do not keep copies for later browsing, training, or advertising profiles. See the Privacy Policy for retention details and AdSense cookie disclosures.

Frequently asked questions

Why didn't I get one image per page?
Only embedded image XObjects are extracted. A page that is text plus vectors may have zero images.
How is this different from PDF to Images?
PDF to Images renders pages. Extract Images pulls existing image objects out of the file.
What about LZW?
Decoding LZW is unimplemented. The job errors instead of skipping that one image.
Are masks and SMask handled?
Treat output as best-effort pixel dumps. Soft masks and unusual color spaces can look wrong.

Last updated:

Call this from code

Every tool on this site is a plain REST endpoint - no account or API key needed for anonymous use. Built for AI agents and developers as much as for browsers.

curl -X POST "https://pdf123.xyz/api/v1/misc/extract-images" \
  -F "[email protected]" \
  -F "format=png" \
  -o output.pdf

Also available as an MCP tool for agent clients that speak Model Context Protocol (JSON-RPC 2.0 over POST /mcp). Full API reference

Use it from an AI agent

Skill

Claude Code, Codex, Cursor and other AI agents can run Extract Images for you with this skill: /skills/pdf123-extract-images.md

All agent skills

Files are used only for this processing job and deleted automatically afterward.