JPG to PDF
Convert JPG and JPEG photos into a single PDF document. EXIF and GPS metadata are automatically stripped. Files are processed in your browser — they never leave your device.
JPG to PDF converts JPG and JPEG photos into a single PDF document using pdf-lib running in your browser via a Web Worker. Drop up to 30 photos (25 MB each), reorder them, choose A4 / Letter / Fit-to-image, then click Create PDF. EXIF metadata and GPS coordinates from your phone photos are automatically stripped — competitor tools usually preserve them. A 5-photo merge typically completes in under two seconds.
What is JPG to PDF?
JPG to PDF takes one or more JPG/JPEG photos — typically straight from a phone camera, scanned receipts, or downloaded images — and packs them into a single PDF document. Each photo becomes one page (or several photos per page if you turn that on), sized to A4, US Letter, or fitted exactly to the photo dimensions. The result is a single shareable file that opens identically on every device.
Most online "JPG to PDF" services upload your photos to a remote server, which is awkward when those photos contain location data, faces of family members, or anything you don't want sitting on someone else's disk. This tool runs the entire conversion in your browser — your photos are decoded, repacked into PDF, and offered back as a download without ever crossing the network.
How does the in-browser conversion work?
Pikowl loads each JPG into a Web Worker — a background thread inside your browser. The worker decodes each file using createImageBitmap, draws it onto an OffscreenCanvas, then re-encodes it as JPEG at quality 0.92. That re-encode step is what strips the EXIF, GPS, and timestamp metadata. The cleaned JPEG bytes are embedded into a new PDF using pdf-lib, which lays them out per your chosen page size, orientation, and margin. The finished PDF is offered as a downloadable Blob via URL.createObjectURL. Nothing is sent to any server.
Is it safe to convert sensitive JPGs here?
Yes. Open the network tab in DevTools while you use the tool — you will see no outbound requests during the conversion. Photos are read locally via the File API, processed in a sandboxed Web Worker, and the resulting PDF lives only in your browser's memory until you download it. Closing the tab discards everything. The same is not true of upload-based services where files are sent to a third-party server and persist on disk for some time even when policies promise deletion.
What metadata gets stripped?
Every photo from a modern phone carries an EXIF block that includes GPS coordinates (where the photo was taken, often within a few metres), the device make and model, the exact capture timestamp, the camera firmware version, and a small embedded thumbnail. Most online conversion tools preserve all of that — the resulting PDF is effectively a tracker. Because Pikowl decodes each photo and re-encodes it via canvas, none of those EXIF tags survive in the output. If you need the original metadata for forensic or archival reasons, keep the source files; the PDF is the privacy-cleaned version.
What are the limits and why?
Up to 30 photos per conversion, 25 MB per photo, with a soft warning at 100 MB combined and a hard cap at 150 MB. These limits exist because a decoded JPEG bitmap can occupy 5-10× the file size in memory — a 25 MB JPEG decodes to roughly 30-50 MB of raw RGBA before the worker re-encodes it. Mobile Safari can crash uncatchably above ~200 MB of working memory. If you have a larger batch, convert in two passes and merge the resulting PDFs with our Merge PDF tool.
How does Pikowl compare to Smallpdf and iLovePDF for JPG-to-PDF?
The substantive differences are processing location, EXIF handling, daily-use limits, and pricing. Numbers below reflect the public free-tier offers from each service as of April 2026.
| Feature | Pikowl | Smallpdf | iLovePDF |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where files are processed | Your browser | Remote server | Remote server |
| Sign-up required | No | Optional | Optional |
| EXIF / GPS handling | Stripped automatically | Preserved | Preserved |
| Max file size (free) | 25 MB | 5 MB | 200 MB (combined) |
| Price | Free | $9/mo for unlimited | $7/mo for premium |
Sources: smallpdf.com/pricing and ilovepdf.com/pricing, retrieved April 2026.
Common Uses
- Receipts and expense reports: Combine phone-snapped JPG receipts into a single PDF for finance review or tax filing — without sharing the GPS coordinates of every restaurant.
- Visa and passport applications: Many forms require a JPG photo + signature + supporting documents bundled as one PDF under a strict size cap.
- Real-estate listings: Send a property photo set as one PDF instead of attaching ten separate JPG files to an email.
- Travel itineraries: Combine boarding-pass and hotel-confirmation JPGs into a single PDF that's easy to access offline.
- Insurance claims: Bundle damage photos into one PDF deliverable for the adjuster, with EXIF/GPS stripped to protect addresses.
- Portfolio submissions: Photographers often need to deliver a curated set of JPGs as a single PDF deliverable.
FAQ
Are my JPGs uploaded to a server?
No. The conversion runs entirely in your browser — open DevTools' network tab and you'll see no outbound requests during the process. Photos are read from your disk via the File API, decoded and re-encoded in a Web Worker, embedded into a PDF using pdf-lib, and offered back as a download. Nothing leaves your device.
Does this remove EXIF and GPS data from JPGs?
Yes — automatically. Every JPG is decoded and re-encoded as a fresh JPEG before being embedded in the PDF. That re-encoding step does not preserve the EXIF block, so GPS coordinates, camera make/model, capture timestamp, software version, and the embedded thumbnail are all dropped. Smallpdf and iLovePDF preserve EXIF by default; the resulting PDFs from those services still contain the original tags.
Why is this tool JPG-only? I have a mix of JPG and PNG.
We split image-to-PDF into separate tools per format so each one can be tuned for its expected use. JPG goes through a JPEG re-encode at quality 0.92 (right for photos); PNG goes through a lossless re-encode that preserves transparency (right for screenshots and design exports). For a mixed batch, convert each format separately or use our PNG-to-PDF and WebP-to-PDF tools.
Can I choose the page size?
Yes. Pick A4 (210×297 mm — global standard), US Letter (8.5×11 in — North America), or "Fit to image" which sizes each PDF page to the photo's exact pixel dimensions. Use Fit when you want a borderless photo-as-document; use A4 or Letter when the PDF needs to print on standard paper.
Will image quality be reduced?
There is one re-encoding pass at JPEG quality 0.92, which is visually indistinguishable from the source for photos. Most phone JPGs already use a similar internal quality, so the file-size overhead is minimal. The trade-off is what makes EXIF stripping possible — preserving original bytes would also preserve the metadata. If you need lossless input handling, use the PNG-to-PDF tool with PNG sources.
What does HEIC support look like?
HEIC (the default iPhone format on newer phones) is not yet supported because it requires a heavy WebAssembly decoder. To convert HEIC, switch your iPhone camera to "Most Compatible" in Settings → Camera → Formats — that makes the camera save JPGs natively, which work here. Or convert HEIC to JPG with the Photos app's Export option first.
How is the order of photos set in the PDF?
Use the drag handle (the dotted icon on the left of each row) to drag a photo up or down. On mobile, press and hold the handle, then drag. The PDF will arrange pages in exactly the order shown in the list, top-down. The original filenames are kept in the on-screen list but are not embedded in the PDF.
By the Numbers
- JPEG was standardized as ISO/IEC 10918-1 in 1992 and remains the default capture format on most smartphones in 2026, accounting for the largest share of online image traffic.
- Modern phone JPGs carry an EXIF block of 30+ tags including GPS, make/model, lens info, and a thumbnail — most of which travel with the file unless explicitly stripped (Adobe XMP / Exif 2.32 specs).
- OffscreenCanvas, the browser API this tool relies on for off-main-thread image processing, is supported in 97% of browsers globally (Can I Use, 2026), making in-browser JPG-to-PDF conversion reliable on every modern device.