mutool is MuPDF’s command-line toolkit for rendering, converting, inspecting, extracting from, and rewriting PDFs and other supported documents. Choose a command by the job: convert for straightforward format changes, draw when you need detailed rendering control, and inspection or extraction commands when you need to examine a PDF’s contents.
Choose a mutool command by task
| What you need to do | Command to consider | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Convert a document to another format | mutool convert |
Converts supported documents to raster, print-raster, vector, or text formats. The output filename extension normally selects the format; -F sets it explicitly. |
| Render pages with more control | mutool draw |
Renders supported documents to images, converts to vector formats, or extracts text. Offers controls such as page selection, resolution, dimensions, colorspace, antialiasing, and output naming. |
| Inspect PDF structure or content | mutool show, grep, or info |
Displays internal PDF objects, searches text content, or reports page-object details and related information. |
| Save embedded images or fonts | mutool extract |
Extracts embedded images and font files, optionally limited to specified object numbers. |
| Rewrite or adjust a PDF | mutool clean, trim, or bake |
Rewrites PDF syntax, changes retained page content, or incorporates annotations and form widgets into page content. |
| Automate document work | mutool run |
Runs JavaScript in the MuPDF environment, with access to many MuPDF features and file-reading and file-writing functions. |
The official mutool guide describes draw as more customizable but harder to use, while convert is the simpler choice for conversion. The command references linked below document each command’s supported options.
Convert a document with mutool convert
Use mutool convert when you want to change a supported document into a raster, print-raster, vector, or text output without needing the full set of rendering controls. The output filename’s extension normally determines the format; use -F when you want to specify the format explicitly.
For example, the general command shape is mutool convert [options] -o output-file input-file. Check the convert reference for the exact syntax and available formats in your installed release.
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Render pages or extract text with mutool draw
Use mutool draw when you need to control how pages are rendered, select particular pages, or extract text. The reference lists PDF, XPS, CBZ, and EPUB inputs, with outputs including raster formats, SVG or PDF, and plain or structured text.
Its options include page selection, output naming, resolution, dimensions, colorspace, and antialiasing. That flexibility makes it useful for tailored output, but also means there are more options to learn than with convert. See the draw reference for release-specific option details.
Inspect a PDF or search its text
Display internal objects with show
mutool show displays internal PDF objects. It is useful when you need to examine a PDF’s structure rather than simply view its pages. Consult the show reference for object-selection syntax.
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Search document text with grep
mutool grep searches text content in a document. Use it for targeted text searches; it is not the command for inspecting embedded images or fonts.
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Review page objects with info
mutool info reports page-object information and can list details about fonts, images, dimensions, patterns, shadings, forms and XObjects, and ZUGFeRD information. The precise options are documented in the info reference.
Extract embedded images and fonts
Use mutool extract to save embedded image and font files from a PDF. You can optionally specify object numbers to limit which embedded objects are extracted. This extracts resources embedded in the document; it is distinct from rendering a page as a complete image.
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See the extract reference for the command’s syntax and options.
Rewrite, trim, or bake PDF content
Rewrite syntax with clean
mutool clean rewrites PDF syntax. Its documented uses include repairing some broken files, expanding compressed streams, filtering pages, garbage collection, and stream compression or decompression. These are capabilities, not a guarantee that it can repair every malformed or damaged PDF. Keep the original file, write to a separate output, and inspect the result before relying on it.
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Keep or exclude content with trim
mutool trim creates a modified PDF by retaining or excluding content within selected page boxes. Use it when the goal is to alter which page-box content remains, rather than simply convert or inspect the document.
Make annotations and form widgets part of page content with bake
mutool bake makes annotations and form widgets part of the page content. Once baked, their editable properties no longer exist as proper annotations or widgets. Keep an untouched copy if you may need to edit those annotations or fields later.
Create PDFs or automate workflows
Create a PDF from graphics commands
mutool create builds PDFs from text files containing graphics commands. Comments in those files can configure page dimensions and resources. The create reference explains the input format.
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Run JavaScript with run
mutool run executes a JavaScript program in the MuPDF environment. Scripts can access many MuPDF features and documented file functions such as read, readFile, and write. Treat a script as executable code with filesystem access: run only scripts you trust, and account for the files they may read or write.
Check documentation for your installed version
MuPDF’s documentation landing page currently surfaces version 1.28.5, while command references are published for different releases, including 1.27.0, 1.27.2, 1.28.2, and 1.28.4. Options can change between releases, so use the reference matching your installed version when an option’s exact behavior matters. Start at the MuPDF documentation and navigate to that release’s mutool command reference.
Quick Recap
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