What happens when you convert JFIF to PDF
- The JFIF is placed into the PDF as it is, without re-compressing, so the page is exactly as sharp as the original photo.
How to convert JFIF to PDF online
- Press "Choose JFIF files" and select one or more files, or drag them onto the box. You can add files of any size your device can hold in memory.
- Adjust the settings if you need to. The output is lossless, so there is no quality setting to worry about.
- Press "Convert to PDF". Images convert in a second or two each.
- Save each PDF with its download button. Close the tab and every trace of the files is gone from memory.
Why convert JFIF to PDF?
JFIF files usually come from images saved from web pages in Chrome and Edge on Windows. 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, JFIF 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. JFIF opens in browsers, though some desktop apps do not recognise the extension, while PDF opens in every browser's built-in viewer.
How to convert JFIF to PDF on Windows, Mac, iPhone and Android
On Windows
Open this page in Chrome, Edge or Firefox, drag your JFIF 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 JFIF files from Finder onto the drop zone and the PDF files land in Downloads. Preview can do single images too: open the file, choose File, then Export, and pick PDF.
On iPhone and iPad
Open the page in Safari and tap Choose JFIF 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 JFIF 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 JFIF to PDF
Each image becomes one page sized to the image at 96 pixels per inch, so a 1200 pixel wide image makes a page 12.5 inches wide. PDF viewers and printers scale pages to fit, so the page size rarely matters on screen.
A JPG is embedded exactly as it is, without re-compressing, as long as it is a normal RGB photo with no rotation flag. Otherwise it is stored losslessly, which is larger but just as sharp.
JFIF vs PDF: the differences
| JFIF | ||
|---|---|---|
| Full name | JPEG File Interchange Format | Portable Document Format |
| Type | image | document |
| Created by | C-Cube Microsystems | Adobe |
| First released | 1992 | 1993 |
| Compression | Lossy | Lossy or lossless |
| Transparency | No | No |
| Animation | No | No |
| Vector or raster | Raster | Vector |
| Colour | 24-bit colour, 16.7 million colours | any colour, pages can mix text, vectors and images |
| In a browser | opens in browsers, though some desktop apps do not recognise the extension | opens in every browser's built-in viewer |
| Common uses | images saved from web pages in Chrome and Edge on Windows | documents, forms, invoices and print-ready files |
| MIME type | image/jpeg | application/pdf |
About JFIF and PDF files
What is a JFIF file?
A JFIF file is an ordinary JPEG with a different extension. Windows started labelling saved web images .jfif after a registry change, which is why photo editors and upload forms sometimes refuse a file that is really a JPEG.
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.
JFIF to PDF not working? Common problems
- Colours look slightly different. Browsers convert images to the standard sRGB colour space when they decode them, so wide-gamut and CMYK images can shift a little.
- A phone photo comes out upright even though it looked sideways elsewhere. That is correct: the rotation stored in the photo is applied during conversion, so the PDF is always the right way up.
- The file is bigger than expected. The PDF is usually larger, because it stores every pixel without compression losses, while the JFIF was compressed lossily.
Convert JFIF to PDF from the command line
If you work in a terminal, ImageMagick converts JFIF to PDF in one line:
magick input.jfif output.pdfTo convert every JFIF in a folder at once, use magick mogrify -format pdf *.jfif. The converter on this page does the same job without installing anything.
JFIF to PDF converter FAQ
Will I lose quality converting JFIF to PDF?
No further quality is lost, because PDF is written losslessly. Detail the JFIF compression already removed does not come back.
Why is the PDF a different size from the JFIF?
The PDF is usually larger, because it stores every pixel without compression losses, while the JFIF was compressed lossily.
Are my JFIF files uploaded anywhere?
No. The conversion runs inside this browser tab using your browser's own image decoder, so your files stay on your device. You can disconnect from the internet after the page has loaded and it still works.
Can I convert several JFIF 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 JFIF to PDF converter free?
Yes. There is no sign-up, no watermark and no limit on how many files you convert. The site is paid for by advertising, and because conversions run on your device there is no server cost per file.
Can I convert JFIF to PDF on my phone?
Yes. The converter works in Safari on iPhone and iPad and in Chrome on Android. Converted files are saved to the Downloads folder.