In embodiments of document layer extraction for mobile devices, a cloud-based image service can receive a request from a mobile file browser for a multi-layered image, and the image service communicates an image preview and image layer previews of multiple layers of the multi-layered image to the mobile device for display. The image service generates a layer extraction that is a full-resolution image of each of the multiple layers of the multi-layered image. The image service can receive identifiers of layers that correspond to user selections of one or more image layer previews from the mobile device. The image service can then generate a component representation of the layer extractions that correspond to the identified layers of the multi-layered image, and then communicate the component representation of the identified layers to the mobile device.