| Tool | Purpose | |------|---------| | pdfinfo | Extract document metadata (author, title, page count, etc.) | | pdftotext | Convert PDF content to plain text | | pdftopng | Render PDF pages to PNG images | | pdftoppm | Convert PDF pages to PPM/PPM/PGM image formats | | pdfimages | Extract all embedded images from a PDF | | pdffonts | List fonts used inside the document | | pdfdetach | Extract embedded file attachments | | pdftohtml | Convert PDF to HTML (retaining basic layout) |
If you are interested in the absolute latest features, you can also explore newer versions like , but for most users seeking a stable and well-understood tool for Windows, xpdf-tools-win-4.04 remains an excellent choice.
Installing xpdf-tools-win-4.04 does not involve a traditional installer program (an .exe or .msi ). Instead, you need to place the extracted files in your desired directory and potentially update your system's PATH environment variable. xpdf-tools-win-4.04
Usability
This command extracts all images as PNG files, naming them like my_images-001.png , my_images-002.png , etc. Without -png , the default PPM format is used. | Tool | Purpose | |------|---------| | pdfinfo
The tools are portable and do not require a standard installer; you simply extract the ZIP file to a directory of your choice.
: The Xpdf project is primarily licensed under the GNU General Public License (GPL), version 2 or version 3 . This means you have the freedom to use, study, share (copy), and modify the software. If you distribute modified versions, you must also make your source code available under the same GPL license. Usability This command extracts all images as PNG
Offers high-resolution rendering and allows specifying DPI (dots per inch). 4. pdftops
Typical use cases
Under , find and select the variable named Path , then click Edit .
Managing PDF files efficiently is a core requirement for developers, system administrators, and power users. While graphical PDF readers are useful for viewing documents, they fall short when you need to automate workflows, extract text from thousands of files, or convert pages into images.