If you’re used to sharing documents on the web, you probably have noticed that certain websites only accept certain file types when you’re trying to upload something. This is a common occurrence for sites where you need to upload resumes, cover letters, samples of your writing, and so on.
How do I convert a JPEG to a PDF?
The prevalence of image files
Most people probably save their documents as Microsoft Word files, so they’ll be in a format like DOC or PDF. Many websites will accept PDF as the format for these documents, but will not accept images, such as a PNG or JPG file.
Unfortunately, a lot of documents take the form of image files nowadays due to the popularity of screenshots and scans of hard copies. When you take a screenshot of text, you’re basically going to save it as a photo.
When you take a screenshot in Windows 10, for example (either with the Snipping Tool or some other app), your screenshot will save as an image.
What do you do when you need to convert your JPG image to PDF?
It can be tricky to access an easy way to create a PDF file. Most people send and receive PDF files all the time, but are at a loss when they want to convert to PDF, especially from an image file.
It’s actually fairly easy to do if you know a few tricks. The main trick to convert a PDF file on Windows 10 involves a Photo program, a Print button, and a little process called “Microsoft print to PDF.”
How to convert JPG to PDF
First, open your JPG file (double-left-click on it in your file manager) and it should open in the default Windows Photos app.
If it doesn’t, that means it’s been assigned to be opened with another program. You want it to open in Photos, so if it’s not assigned properly, you can change that property. To do this, right-click the file and select “Open With” in the little menu that appears. Choose “Photos” from the list of apps that pops up.
Once you’re viewing your image in Photos, you’ll see a Print button on the top right. Press this button (or just press Ctrl + P) to print the image. Note that you won’t be printing a hard copy now. This is the trick!
This will open the print dialog box, allowing you to choose where you want the image to print from a menu. Select “Microsoft print to PDF” as your “printer.”
You will then be asked where you want to save your PDF to. Choose a folder on your computer and click the Save button and you’re done!
Once you do this, your JPG should have been saved as a new PDF file on your hard drive (or wherever you saved it – you can choose a new file name). That means it can be read by PDF software, and you can do whatever editing or converting if needed. You won’t need to view it through the Photos app anymore.
If you want to quickly view your document, you can just double click it and it will open in your browser by default. If you want to change the app that opens PDFs by default, use the trick we mentioned earlier to select a new app.
What if I’m on a Mac?
If you’re using a Mac (or just not using a Windows 10 machine), you unfortunately won’t have access to the Photos app, its Print button, or the “Microsoft print to PDF” method. You also probably aren’t using Microsoft Word, so your documents are more likely to be images such as a PNG or JPEG.
In this case, a quick and easy way to convert your images to PDF files is to use an online tool like Soda PDF’s online JPG to PDF converter tool. It’s a simple drag-and-drop process that will allow you to select and convert your JPGs with one click.
This will work no matter what platform you’re using – Windows 10, macOS, Android or iOS. You won’t need any other programs. All you’ll need is a browser and an internet connection.
How to convert JPG to PDF using the Soda PDF free tool method
- Go the Soda PDF site.
- Select the Online Tools menu from the home page.
- Click the JPG to PDF icon from the menu options.
- Drag and drop the JPG. It will automatically start to convert it to a PDF. You can also select and change the orientation of the pages within the document if you like.
- Download your PDF when ready (make the file name whatever you like) and view it in your browser.
It’s arguably easier to do compared to the “Microsoft print to PDF” trick – it’s just a click away! You won’t need any other programs like Microsoft Word or Photos to do it either.
What if I need to work offline?
If you need to convert a JPG locally (on your computer’s hard drive), you can download and install a desktop version of the Soda PDF Desktop software. It will allow you to edit your document offline if you need to. You can also send it to your printer to make a hard copy.
With the desktop version, you’ll be able to work with a bigger file size, multiple documents, and share to the web as needed. It only works on Windows platforms, however.
To install Soda PDF desktop, Go to Soda PDF download page and follow the instructions to download and install the software. It should only take a few minutes. You’ll then be able to easily convert a JPG image to PDF offline!