PDF to XWD Converter

Export PDF as X Window Dump images for free

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X Window Dump Output

Create XWD images from PDF pages — fully compatible with X11 display tools, making document content viewable in Unix environments.

Fast Processing

Cloud servers render your PDF and encode XWD output quickly — results are typically ready in seconds, not minutes.

Beginner Friendly

No command-line xwd tools needed — Convertio provides a visual interface that makes PDF to XWD conversion accessible to everyone.

How to convert PDF to XWD

1

Select files from Computer, Google Drive, Dropbox, URL or by dragging it on the page.

2

Choose xwd or any other format you need as a result (more than 200 formats supported)

3

Let the file convert and you can download your xwd file right afterwards

About formats

PDF (Portable Document Format) was developed by Adobe Systems, co-founded by John Warnock and Charles Geschke, with the first version released on June 15, 1993. Built on a simplified PostScript imaging model, PDF encapsulates complete document descriptions — text with fonts, vector graphics, raster images, and interactive elements — in a self-contained file that renders identically across every platform, device, and printer. The format evolved through multiple versions, culminating in its adoption as international standard ISO 32000-1 in 2008 (PDF 1.7) and ISO 32000-2 in 2017 (PDF 2.0), ensuring long-term vendor independence. PDF supports an extraordinary range of capabilities: digital signatures, form fields, annotations, bookmarks, accessibility tags, encryption, JavaScript, multimedia embedding, 3D content, and archival-specific profiles (PDF/A). One advantage is absolute visual fidelity — a PDF document looks exactly the same whether opened on Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, or Android, printed on any printer, or viewed decades after creation. Universal software support is another core strength: PDF viewers are built into every major operating system and web browser, and the format is read by hundreds of applications worldwide. Specialized ISO profiles like PDF/A (archival), PDF/X (print production), and PDF/UA (accessibility) extend the format's reach into regulated industries. PDF has become the global standard for document exchange in business, government, legal, academic, and publishing contexts.
Developer: Adobe Systems
Initial release: June 15, 1993
XWD (X Window Dump) is a screen capture image format defined as part of the X Window System by the MIT X Consortium, dating to approximately 1987. The xwd command-line utility captures the contents of an X window or the entire screen and saves it as an XWD file — functionally equivalent to a screenshot utility but predating the concept by years. XWD files contain a detailed header specifying the X server's visual type, bit depth, byte order, bitmap unit and padding, the window's dimensions, border width, and color map information, followed by the raw pixel data exactly as represented in the X server's framebuffer. This means XWD files faithfully capture the exact pixel representation used by the display hardware — including server-specific byte ordering, padding, and color organization — making them primarily useful on the system where they were captured or on systems with compatible display configurations. The header also stores the window name string and the full color map entries for indexed-color visuals. XWD supports all X11 visual types: StaticGray, GrayScale, StaticColor, PseudoColor, TrueColor, and DirectColor, at any bit depth supported by the X server. One advantage is exact framebuffer fidelity: XWD captures the window's pixel data in its native format without any color space conversion or compression, making it the definitive record of what the X server was actually displaying. The format's integration with the X11 command-line toolkit provides another practical benefit — xwd can capture specific windows by ID or name, be triggered remotely via SSH, and piped directly to format converters. XWD files are handled by ImageMagick, GIMP, xwud (the viewer companion to xwd), and xv.
Developer: MIT X Consortium
Initial release: 1987

Frequently Asked Questions

Why convert PDF to XWD?

XWD is the X Window Dump format — converting PDFs to XWD creates images compatible with X11 screenshot tools and display utilities.

How do I open an XWD file?

XWD files are viewable with xwud (X11 utility), ImageMagick, GIMP, XnView, and most Linux image processing applications.

Does XWD support color?

Yes — XWD supports various color depths including monochrome, 8-bit indexed, and full 24-bit true color image data.

Is XWD a compressed format?

XWD files are typically uncompressed, making them straightforward to parse but larger in size than compressed alternatives.

Is PDF to XWD free?

Yes, Convertio converts PDF to XWD for free. For higher-volume or automated workflows, premium plans offer extended features.

Does it work on Windows?

Convertio runs in any browser — convert PDF to XWD on Windows, macOS, Linux, or mobile without needing X11 installed.

PDF to XWD Quality Rating

4.5 (90 votes)
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