AI quiz generator from a PDF: the free screenshot method

Last updated September 29, 2026

To be upfront: SwipeSmrt doesn't take PDF files directly. It reads images. The good news is that a screenshot of a PDF page is an image, and taking one is quicker than most upload forms.

It's often the better way anyway. A quiz on a whole 200-page PDF is too broad to be useful. A quiz on the four pages that are actually on Friday's test is exactly what a kid needs.

Get started for free

SwipeSmrt screenshot: screenshots of two pdf pages — 1. Screenshots of two PDF pagesAdded from the gallery like any other photo.

SwipeSmrt screenshot: a question from those pages — 2. A question from those pagesOnly what was on the pages you picked.

SwipeSmrt screenshot: answer and explanation — 3. Answer and explanationWrong answers get explained too.

On a phone

Open the PDF and zoom so one page fills the screen.
Take a screenshot. Repeat for each page you want in the quiz.
Open swipesmrt.com, tap Choose from Gallery and pick the screenshots.
Tap Generate Quiz.

On a computer

Open the PDF. Take a screenshot of the page: Windows+Shift+S on Windows, Cmd+Shift+4 on a Mac.
Save each screenshot as an image file.
Open swipesmrt.com, click Choose from Gallery and select the files.
Click Generate Quiz.

The screenshots above come from a scanned 1903 physiology textbook that lives on the web as a PDF. Scanned PDFs work fine, since the app reads the page as a picture either way.

Tips

One page per screenshot. Text that's too small to read on screen is too small for the quiz too.
Pick pages rather than chapters. You can add up to 30 images in one quiz, but five good pages beat thirty skimmed ones.
For a test tomorrow, pick the pages the teacher pointed at. There's a plan for that evening in building a review quiz the night before.

What you don't need

No account, no file converter, no subscription. If you've been copying PDF text into a flashcard app by hand, the difference is covered in a free Quizlet alternative built from your own pages.

Common questions

Why can't I just upload the PDF?

SwipeSmrt is built around photos of pages, so it reads images. A screenshot turns any PDF page into one, and it lets you pick only the pages that matter.

Does it work with scanned PDFs?

Yes. A scanned page is already a picture of text, which is exactly what the app reads.

How many pages can I include?

Up to 30 images in one quiz. For studying, a handful of well-chosen pages works better than a whole chapter.

See it in action

Turn textbook pages into a quiz in 30 seconds (0:42). Transcript and more videos