How to Convert JPG and Other Images to PDF in Windows 11

•3 min read•
By My Technician Tech Team · Edited by Ankit Kumar
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The Problem

A form wants your documents as one PDF, but what you have is a handful of phone photos and screenshots. Windows 11 can do this conversion with its built-in PDF printer, without installing anything.

Quick Checks First

  1. Copy the images to the PC into one folder, if they are still on your phone.
  2. Check the format. JPG and PNG work everywhere. iPhone photos are often HEIC, which Windows opens only with the HEIF Image Extensions from the Microsoft Store. If a photo will not open in Photos, it will not print either.
  3. Crop and straighten first. Open each photo in Photos, choose Edit, and crop to the document. It makes the PDF smaller and easier to read.

Step 1: Name the Images in Order

Windows prints images in the order File Explorer lists them, which is usually by name.

  1. Rename the files 01, 02, 03 and so on (right-click → Rename, or F2).
  2. Sort the folder by Name (View → Sort by → Name).

Step 2: Print the Images to PDF

  1. Select all the images (Ctrl + A, or Ctrl + click for some of them).
  2. Right-click the selection and choose Show more options → Print.
  3. In Print Pictures, set Printer to Microsoft Print to PDF.
  4. Choose a Paper size (A4 or Letter) and, on the right, the Full page photo layout for one image per page.
  5. Clear Fit picture to frame if the edges of your documents are being cut off. The image then fits inside the page instead of filling it.
  6. Select Print, choose a folder, and name the PDF.

Step 3: Fix Common Problems

  • Pages in the wrong order: rename the files with leading zeros (01 rather than 1), because 10 sorts before 2 otherwise.
  • Pages cropped: clear Fit picture to frame.
  • Sideways pages: rotate the image in Photos (Ctrl + R) before printing.
  • Print option missing: some image types do not offer Print in the menu. Open the image in Photos and press Ctrl + P, one image at a time, or convert it to JPG first.
  • PDF too big: phone photos are large. See compress a PDF.

Step 4: Make the PDF Searchable

A PDF made from photos holds pictures of text, so you cannot search or copy from it. If you need that (a long letter, a set of receipts), run OCR on it. See copy text from an image or scanned PDF.

Converting many images, or needing searchable text? Quick File Converter turns JPG, PNG, WebP, GIF, and BMP images into one PDF on the PC. Its OCR tools can also turn images straight into a searchable PDF. Images up to 75 MB each are supported.

FAQ

How do I combine multiple JPGs into one PDF on Windows 11?

Select them all in File Explorer, right-click, choose Show more options → Print, and print to Microsoft Print to PDF. All the selected images go into one PDF, one per page.

Why is the order of pages wrong in my PDF?

Windows follows the folder's sort order. Rename the files with numbers and leading zeros and sort by name before printing.

Can I convert HEIC photos to PDF?

Yes, once Windows can open them. Install the HEIF Image Extensions from the Microsoft Store, or export the photos from your phone as JPG.

How do I convert a PDF back into images?

See convert PDF to JPG.

Related: merge PDF files and organize and back up important documents.

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