Free HTML to PDF in C# with the SelectPdf Community Edition

Build it step by step.

1. 1Install the NuGet packages

   SelectPdf.HtmlToPdf.Universal is the library, the free Community Edition. The native package carries the Chromium engine for one platform: add the one for the platform you run on.

   Windows x64 Linux x64 Linux ARM64 macOS · Apple Silicon
   terminal COPY

   dotnet add package SelectPdf.HtmlToPdf.Universal
   dotnet add package SelectPdf.Universal.Native.win-x64

   terminal COPY

   dotnet add package SelectPdf.HtmlToPdf.Universal
   dotnet add package SelectPdf.Universal.Native.linux-x64

   terminal COPY

   dotnet add package SelectPdf.HtmlToPdf.Universal
   dotnet add package SelectPdf.Universal.Native.linux-arm64

   terminal COPY

   dotnet add package SelectPdf.HtmlToPdf.Universal
   dotnet add package SelectPdf.Universal.Native.osx-arm64

2. 2Create a console app

   Any .NET 8 or .NET 10 project works. To follow along, create a console app, run the install commands above inside its folder, then replace Program.cs with the code below.

   terminal COPY

   dotnet new console -n PdfSample
   cd PdfSample

3. 3Import the namespace

   Program.cs · lines 1–1 COPY

   using SelectPdf.Universal;

   The free package, SelectPdf.HtmlToPdf.Universal, uses the same SelectPdf.Universal namespace as the commercial library. Next to it goes the engine package for your platform (see the install tabs).

4. 4Create the converter

   Program.cs · lines 3–8 COPY

   // 1. The free Community Edition (SelectPdf.HtmlToPdf.Universal) has the same
   // HtmlToPdf converter and options as the commercial library.
   HtmlToPdf converter = new HtmlToPdf();
   converter.Options.PdfPageSize = PdfPageSize.A4;
   converter.Options.MarginTop = 20;
   converter.Options.MarginBottom = 20;

   HtmlToPdf and its options are the same as in the commercial library: page size, orientation and margins (in points) work as documented for it.

5. 5Add page numbers in the footer

   Program.cs · lines 10–16 COPY

   // 2. Headers and footers are included: "Page X of Y" at the bottom right.
   converter.Options.DisplayFooter = true;
   converter.Footer.Height = 30;
   PdfTextSection pageNumbers = new PdfTextSection(0, 8, "Page {page_number} of {total_pages}  ",
       PdfFont.CreateFromSystemFont("Liberation Sans", 9f));
   pageNumbers.HorizontalAlign = PdfTextHorizontalAlign.Right;
   converter.Footer.Add(pageNumbers);

   Custom headers and footers are part of the free edition. DisplayFooter turns the footer on, and a PdfTextSection with {page_number} and {total_pages} prints "Page 1 of 5" at the bottom right of each page.

6. 6Convert a web page

   Program.cs · lines 18–21 COPY

   // 3. Convert a web page and save the PDF.
   PdfDocument doc = converter.ConvertUrl("https://selectpdf.com/community-edition/");
   doc.Save("community-edition.pdf");
   doc.Close();

   ConvertUrl loads the page and renders it with the Chromium engine; ConvertHtmlString converts an HTML string the same way. Save writes the PDF and Close releases it.

7. 7Check the 5-page limit

   Program.cs · lines 23–25 COPY

   // 4. A document keeps at most 5 pages: check whether the content was longer.
   HtmlToPdfResult result = converter.ConversionResult;
   Console.WriteLine($"{result.PdfPageCount} pages saved, {result.PdfPageCountBeforeLimit} before the limit");

   The free edition keeps the first 5 pages of a document. ConversionResult.PdfPageCountBeforeLimit says how many pages the content needed: here it prints "5 pages saved, 8 before the limit", so three pages were left out. Compare it with PdfPageCount to tell your users, or to switch to the commercial library.

8. 8Run it

   terminal COPY

   dotnet run

   The program writes community-edition.pdf to the working folder. The Community Edition needs no license key and adds no watermark.

The complete Program.cs.

This is the exact file our samples pipeline compiled and ran on Linux ARM64 and Linux x64 and macOS ARM64 and Windows x64 to produce the output on this page.

using SelectPdf.Universal;

// 1. The free Community Edition (SelectPdf.HtmlToPdf.Universal) has the same
// HtmlToPdf converter and options as the commercial library.
HtmlToPdf converter = new HtmlToPdf();
converter.Options.PdfPageSize = PdfPageSize.A4;
converter.Options.MarginTop = 20;
converter.Options.MarginBottom = 20;

// 2. Headers and footers are included: "Page X of Y" at the bottom right.
converter.Options.DisplayFooter = true;
converter.Footer.Height = 30;
PdfTextSection pageNumbers = new PdfTextSection(0, 8, "Page {page_number} of {total_pages}  ",
    PdfFont.CreateFromSystemFont("Liberation Sans", 9f));
pageNumbers.HorizontalAlign = PdfTextHorizontalAlign.Right;
converter.Footer.Add(pageNumbers);

// 3. Convert a web page and save the PDF.
PdfDocument doc = converter.ConvertUrl("https://selectpdf.com/community-edition/");
doc.Save("community-edition.pdf");
doc.Close();

// 4. A document keeps at most 5 pages: check whether the content was longer.
HtmlToPdfResult result = converter.ConversionResult;
Console.WriteLine($"{result.PdfPageCount} pages saved, {result.PdfPageCountBeforeLimit} before the limit");

Open the project on GitHub → this program and the variations below, ready to dotnet run

The PDF it produces.

Common problems and fixes.

Good to know.

• SelectPdf.HtmlToPdf.Universal is the free Community Edition of the SelectPdf HTML to PDF converter for .NET, free for personal and commercial use, on Linux x64 and ARM64, Docker, Windows and macOS on Apple Silicon. Source
• The Community Edition generates PDF documents up to five pages long; it is a free product, not the commercial trial. Source
• HtmlToPdfResult.PdfPageCountBeforeLimit is the number of pages the conversion produced before the 5-page limit was applied; in the full edition it always equals PdfPageCount. Source
• The free edition includes custom headers and footers, page settings, HTTP headers and cookies, authentication, and HTML5, CSS3 and web fonts. Source
• Loading and modifying existing PDFs, PDF to text, PDF to image and form filling need the commercial library. Source