Keynote → PDF is the handout or upload-portal version of a Mac deck: each slide becomes one page at the deck's own proportions, readable anywhere, with theme artwork as the part most likely to differ.
From real runs
| Element | Result | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| One page per slide | Kept | Each deck we counted produced exactly as many PDF pages as it has slides, and a 16:9 deck's pages measure 1920 × 1080 points, the same as Keynote's own export. |
| Text | Kept | Slide text stays selectable and searchable in the PDF, so a reviewer can copy a figure or search for a name. |
| Fonts | Changed | Gill Sans, Helvetica Neue and Avenir become open substitutes. On an infographic deck the two-word title wrapped onto a second line and ran into the subtitle. |
| Pictures and drawn icons | Changed | Photos, frames and simple shapes come through in place, but detailed drawn icons lose their detail: on an icon sheet a server, a database and a globe became plain rounded shapes, and one figure vanished. |
| Gradients and backgrounds | Changed | A light bulb drawn in coloured bands printed mostly black, and a dark slide with a panda silhouette came out on white. |
| Text in narrow boxes | Changed | In a Keynote 14 icon sheet, wider substitute letters pushed one-word labels onto two lines, splitting words such as 'server' after the fifth letter. |
| Presenter notes | Lost | Notes are not printed; a three-slide deck with a presenter note gave a three-page PDF with no trace of the note. |
| Builds | Changed | A slide that builds in steps is one page with every object shown, not one page per step. |
Each deck we counted produced exactly as many PDF pages as it has slides, and a 16:9 deck's pages measure 1920 × 1080 points, the same as Keynote's own export.
Slide text stays selectable and searchable in the PDF, so a reviewer can copy a figure or search for a name.
Gill Sans, Helvetica Neue and Avenir become open substitutes. On an infographic deck the two-word title wrapped onto a second line and ran into the subtitle.
Photos, frames and simple shapes come through in place, but detailed drawn icons lose their detail: on an icon sheet a server, a database and a globe became plain rounded shapes, and one figure vanished.
A light bulb drawn in coloured bands printed mostly black, and a dark slide with a panda silhouette came out on white.
In a Keynote 14 icon sheet, wider substitute letters pushed one-word labels onto two lines, splitting words such as 'server' after the fifth letter.
Notes are not printed; a three-slide deck with a presenter note gave a three-page PDF with no trace of the note.
A slide that builds in steps is one page with every object shown, not one page per step.
We converted our Apple Keynote sample (268 KB) with Office engine on 2026-10-20. It took 1.7 s and produced a 15 KB PDF file, 94% smaller than the input. The engine raised 1 warning, listed below.
Input · sample.key · 268 KB
ZIP with 62 parts
Output · sample.pdf · 15 KB
PDF 1.6, 3 pages, selectable text (LiberationSans, NotoSans-Regular), 0 image objects
LibreOffice
soffice --headless --convert-to pdf --outdir out deck.keySame import, same font and background caveats. Install the deck's fonts first if you have them.
Keynote (Mac, iPad or iCloud.com)
File → Export To → PDF (iCloud.com: Download a Copy → PDF)Apple's export can include presenter notes and print each build step; it is the right choice for a handout of a theme-heavy deck.
The HTTP API and the MCP server run the exact engine this page uses (Office engine); the response carries the same warnings the web converter shows. Check support first with GET /api/v1/pairs?from=key&to=pdf.
curl -X POST https://filetypeconverters.com/api/v1/convert \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $FTC_API_KEY" \
-F "file=@input.key" -F "from=key" -F "to=pdf" \
--output output.pdfNo. The PDF shows slides only. Keynote's own PDF export has an option to include notes, and Keynote → PPTX keeps them in PowerPoint's notes pane.
Keynote themes use Apple fonts that we cannot install, and the substitute is a little wider, so a title that fitted on one line wraps and runs into whatever sits underneath. Shorten the title or export from Keynote when it matters.
Yes, that is what this page does; nothing has to be installed. The alternative is the free Keynote app at iCloud.com, which exports a PDF from the browser.