PDF to Text
Drop your PDF and download the text as TXT. The work runs in your browser. A scanned file has no text layer, so the result comes back empty.
Drop files here
or choose from your computer
How it works
- Choose your PDF file or drag it into the drop area.
- Press Extract text.
- Download the TXT file or copy the text.
Why this tool
- Your file stays on your computer. There is no upload.
- Plain text in page order.
- Accented and non-English letters come out correctly.
- Processes several files one after another.
- The output is TXT, so layout and styling are dropped.
Copying text out of a PDF reader usually goes wrong. Columns get mixed, hidden spaces appear at line ends, and in a long document the selection breaks page by page. Taking the whole text in one step is faster, and then you can work on it: search it, pull quotes, send it to a translator, count words, prepare input for a model.
The tool reads the text layer in the file and writes plain text in page order. This is fast and exact, because nothing is guessed. The letters are already stored inside the file. Font, size, color and page layout are dropped. The output is TXT, so every editor opens it.
Two limits matter. A scanned document has no text layer, so the file is only a picture and the result is empty. "OCR PDF" handles those files, because it reads the words from the image. The second limit is tables: cells fall under each other and the column alignment is lost.
To measure the result, "Word Counter" gives characters, words and reading time.
Frequently asked questions
Does my file go to a server?
No. The text is read in your browser. Your file never leaves your computer.
Does it work on a scanned PDF?
No. A scan is an image and holds no text layer. For those files use "OCR PDF", which reads the words from the picture.
Do tables come out correctly?
Table cells drop into plain text line by line and the column alignment is lost. For tables, "PDF to Word" gives a better result.
Are special letters kept?
Files with standard embedded fonts keep their accented letters. Very old files or files with a custom encoding can show errors.
What is the size limit?
200 MB per file and 50 files at a time. Pro allows 2 GB.
Are images included?
No. The output holds words only. To get the pages as pictures, use "PDF to JPG".