What happens when you convert EMZ to PDF
- The EMZ is unpacked on our conversion server, because it is an EMF drawing compressed with gzip, and the EMF inside is opened by Inkscape, the open-source vector editor, and saved as a PDF page the size of the drawing.
- Shapes and text stay vectors, so the PDF is as sharp as the metafile at any zoom, and it opens in every browser and on every phone.
- Windows metafiles can contain features Inkscape does not draw exactly, such as some fonts and hatch patterns, so check the result against the original.
- 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 EMZ to PDF online
- Press "Choose EMZ 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 EMZ and the PDF by then.
Why convert EMZ to PDF?
EMZ files usually come from pictures inside Office files and web pages saved from Word or PowerPoint. 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, EMZ 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. EMZ does not open in browsers; Word, PowerPoint and LibreOffice show it inside documents, while PDF opens in every browser's built-in viewer.
How to convert EMZ to PDF on Windows, Mac, iPhone and Android
On Windows
Open this page in Chrome, Edge or Firefox, drag your EMZ 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 EMZ 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 EMZ 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 EMZ 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 EMZ to PDF
There are no settings: the drawing is converted at its own size, with every shape kept as a vector.
Keep the EMZ as the master copy, and convert from it again whenever you need another format.
EMZ vs PDF: the differences
| EMZ | ||
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Compressed Enhanced Metafile | Portable Document Format |
| Type | image | document |
| Created by | Microsoft | Adobe |
| First released | 1993 | 1993 |
| Compression | Lossless | Lossy or lossless |
| Transparency | No | No |
| Animation | No | No |
| Vector or raster | Vector | Vector |
| Colour | Windows drawing commands, which can also hold bitmaps | any colour, pages can mix text, vectors and images |
| In a browser | does not open in browsers; Word, PowerPoint and LibreOffice show it inside documents | opens in every browser's built-in viewer |
| Common uses | pictures inside Office files and web pages saved from Word or PowerPoint | documents, forms, invoices and print-ready files |
| MIME type | image/x-emz | application/pdf |
About EMZ and PDF files
What is an EMZ file?
An EMZ is an EMF drawing compressed with gzip. Office stores pictures this way, and a web page saved from Word or PowerPoint comes with a folder of image001.emz files, which is where most EMZ files people want to open come from.
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.
EMZ 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 EMZ format." The converter checks every file before it runs anything, so a file of another format renamed to .emz is refused. Choose the page for its real format.
Convert EMZ to PDF from the command line
gzip and Inkscape do the same on your own computer:
gunzip -c input.emz > input.emf
inkscape input.emf --export-type=pdf --export-filename=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.
EMZ to PDF converter FAQ
Will I lose quality converting EMZ to PDF?
Shapes and colours stay vectors, so nothing is lost to pixels. Each vector format supports a slightly different set of effects, so gradients, transparency and filters may be simplified.
Why is the PDF a different size from the EMZ?
Both store drawing instructions, so the PDF is usually of a similar size to the EMZ; embedded pictures make the biggest difference.
Are my EMZ files uploaded?
Yes, for this conversion. A faithful EMZ to PDF conversion needs Inkscape, the open-source vector editor, 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 EMZ 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 EMZ 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 EMZ 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.