What happens when you convert DjVu to PDF
- Every page of the DjVu is decoded by DjVuLibre, the open-source DjVu toolkit, on our conversion server and written into the PDF as an image, at the page's own resolution, in page order.
- The page images are JPEG compressed at 85 percent quality, which keeps scanned text readable at a sensible size.
- The PDF pages are pictures, so their text cannot be selected or searched even if the DjVu had a hidden text layer. Run the PDF through OCR if you need searchable text.
- This conversion runs on our server: the file is uploaded, converted, and deleted together with the result as soon as the result has been sent back to you. Nothing is kept. Files up to 25 MB are accepted.
How to convert DjVu to PDF online
- Press "Choose DjVu files" and select one or more files, or drag them onto the box. Files up to 25 MB each can be converted.
- There are no settings to choose: the converter keeps everything the target format can hold.
- Press "Convert to PDF". The file is uploaded to our conversion server, converted in a few seconds, and deleted together with the result as soon as the result is sent back.
- Save each PDF with its download button. Our server has already deleted both your DjVu and the PDF by then.
Why convert DjVu to PDF?
DjVu files usually come from scanned books, old manuals and digital library archives. People convert them to PDF because a PDF looks the same on every device and is what forms, portals and printers ask for.
In short, DjVu is good at what it was made for, and PDF is the more practical choice when the file has to open, upload or print somewhere else. DjVu does not open in browsers; DjVuLibre, Okular, SumatraPDF and many reading apps open it, while PDF opens in every browser's built-in viewer.
How to convert DjVu to PDF on Windows, Mac, iPhone and Android
On Windows
Open this page in Chrome, Edge or Firefox, drag your DjVu files in from File Explorer, and press Convert. Each PDF is saved to your Downloads folder.
On a Mac
Safari, Chrome and Firefox all work. Drag the DjVu files from Finder onto the drop zone and the PDF files land in Downloads.
On iPhone and iPad
Open the page in Safari and tap Choose DjVu files. You can pick from Photos or from the Files app. The converted PDF appears in Files, in the Downloads folder.
On Android
Open the page in Chrome, tap Choose DjVu files and pick them from Files or your gallery. The PDF is saved to the Download folder, where any file manager can find it.
Best settings for DjVu to PDF
There are no settings: every page is converted at its own resolution with 85 percent JPEG quality.
For a smaller file, compress the PDF afterwards with a PDF compressor, which lowers the resolution of the page images.
DjVu vs PDF: the differences
| DjVu | ||
|---|---|---|
| Full name | DjVu document | Portable Document Format |
| Type | document | document |
| Created by | AT&T Labs | Adobe |
| First released | 1998 | 1993 |
| Compression | Lossy or lossless | Lossy or lossless |
| Transparency | No | No |
| Animation | No | No |
| Vector or raster | Raster | Vector |
| Colour | scanned pages split into a sharp text layer and a compressed colour background | any colour, pages can mix text, vectors and images |
| In a browser | does not open in browsers; DjVuLibre, Okular, SumatraPDF and many reading apps open it | opens in every browser's built-in viewer |
| Common uses | scanned books, old manuals and digital library archives | documents, forms, invoices and print-ready files |
| MIME type | image/vnd.djvu | application/pdf |
About DjVu and PDF files
What is a DjVu file?
DjVu was designed at AT&T Labs for scanned pages. It separates the crisp black text from the paper and pictures behind it and compresses each its own way, so a scanned book is often several times smaller as DjVu than as a PDF of the same scans.
What is a PDF file?
A PDF fixes the layout of every page so it looks the same on any device. Converting a PDF to an image renders each page to pixels; converting an image to PDF wraps it as a page.
DjVu to PDF not working? Common problems
- "Files up to 25 MB can be converted." Server conversions have a size limit. Compress the images inside the file, or split it, and try again.
- "The conversion took too long and was stopped." Very long or complex files can pass the 90 second limit. Split the file and convert the parts.
- "This file is not really in DjVu format." The converter checks every file before it runs anything, so a file of another format renamed to .djvu is refused. Choose the page for its real format.
Convert DjVu to PDF from the command line
DjVuLibre does the same on your own computer:
ddjvu -format=pdf -quality=85 input.djvu output.pdfConverting on your own computer keeps the file entirely local, which is worth it for very large or very sensitive documents. For everything else, the converter on this page does it without installing anything.
DjVu to PDF converter FAQ
Will I lose quality converting DjVu to PDF?
The pages look as they did in the DjVu, apart from slight JPEG softening. Text in the PDF is part of the page images, not selectable text.
Why is the PDF a different size from the DjVu?
Usually several times larger than the DjVu, because DjVu compresses scanned text far better than PDF can.
Are my DjVu files uploaded?
Yes, for this conversion. A faithful DjVu to PDF conversion needs DjVuLibre, the open-source DjVu toolkit, which cannot run in a browser. The file travels over an encrypted connection, is converted in a private temporary folder, and is deleted together with the PDF as soon as the result has been sent back to you. We do not keep, read or share it.
Can I convert several DjVu files to PDF at once?
Yes. Select or drop as many files as you like; they are converted one after another and each gets its own download button.
How do I open a PDF file?
PDF opens in every browser's built-in viewer. PDF is common for documents, forms, invoices and print-ready files.
Is this DjVu to PDF converter free?
Yes. There is no sign-up and no watermark. Because this conversion uses our server, there is a fair-use limit of 25 MB per file and a number of files per hour, which stops the service being overloaded.
Can I convert DjVu to PDF on my phone?
Yes. It works in Safari on iPhone and iPad and in Chrome on Android. The conversion happens on our server, so it is as fast on a phone as on a computer; the PDF is saved to your Downloads folder.