Rasterizing PDFs to Images with MemoryStream

Updated:June 22, 2025

How do I convert PDF pages to images using MemoryStream, without touching the file system?

IronPDF offers loading PDF documents from MemoryStream. (How-Tos | API Reference)

Use the PdfDocument.ToBitmap() method to export PDF pages as images. This will return an array of IronSoftware.Drawing.AnyBitmap objects, which can be used for further processing.

using IronPdf;
using System.IO;

// Example rendering PDF documents to Images or Thumbnails
using var pdf = PdfDocument.FromFile("Example.pdf");

// Convert each page of the PDF document to a bitmap image
IronSoftware.Drawing.AnyBitmap[] pageImages = pdf.ToBitmap();

foreach (var bitmap in pageImages)
{
    // Use MemoryStream to handle the image data in memory
    using (MemoryStream memoryStream = new MemoryStream())
    {
        // Export the image to MemoryStream as a PNG format
        bitmap.ExportStream(memoryStream, IronSoftware.Drawing.AnyBitmap.ImageFormat.Png);

        // MemoryStream can now be used for further processing without touching the file system
        // Example: Send it over a network, save to a database, etc.
    }

    // Dispose of the bitmap once processing is complete to free resources
    bitmap.Dispose();
}

using IronPdf;
using System.IO;

// Example rendering PDF documents to Images or Thumbnails
using var pdf = PdfDocument.FromFile("Example.pdf");

// Convert each page of the PDF document to a bitmap image
IronSoftware.Drawing.AnyBitmap[] pageImages = pdf.ToBitmap();

foreach (var bitmap in pageImages)
{
    // Use MemoryStream to handle the image data in memory
    using (MemoryStream memoryStream = new MemoryStream())
    {
        // Export the image to MemoryStream as a PNG format
        bitmap.ExportStream(memoryStream, IronSoftware.Drawing.AnyBitmap.ImageFormat.Png);

        // MemoryStream can now be used for further processing without touching the file system
        // Example: Send it over a network, save to a database, etc.
    }

    // Dispose of the bitmap once processing is complete to free resources
    bitmap.Dispose();
}

Imports IronPdf
Imports System.IO

' Example rendering PDF documents to Images or Thumbnails
Private pdf = PdfDocument.FromFile("Example.pdf")

' Convert each page of the PDF document to a bitmap image
Private pageImages() As IronSoftware.Drawing.AnyBitmap = pdf.ToBitmap()

For Each bitmap In pageImages
	' Use MemoryStream to handle the image data in memory
	Using memoryStream As New MemoryStream()
		' Export the image to MemoryStream as a PNG format
		bitmap.ExportStream(memoryStream, IronSoftware.Drawing.AnyBitmap.ImageFormat.Png)

		' MemoryStream can now be used for further processing without touching the file system
		' Example: Send it over a network, save to a database, etc.
	End Using

	' Dispose of the bitmap once processing is complete to free resources
	bitmap.Dispose()
Next bitmap

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Here is a helpful Stack Overflow article for more details on saving a bitmap into a MemoryStream.

Chaknith Bin

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Software Engineer

Chaknith works on IronXL and IronBarcode. He has deep expertise in C# and .NET, helping improve the software and support customers. His insights from user interactions contribute to better products, documentation, and overall experience.