PDF to Text

Files stay in your browser 100 MB per file LimitDocument Tools#Essential#PDF

Save the text of a PDF as a plain .txt file. For scanned PDFs without a text layer, use OCR PDF.

Convert

Extract text

Save the text layer of each PDF as a .txt file.

Each file on its own

Drop PDFs to start

PDF files · up to 100 MB each · or paste with Ctrl+V

Add a PDF to use this tool.

How to use, limits & privacy

About PDF to Text

Pull all the text out of a PDF and save it as a plain .txt file. It reads the text layer that PDFs made on a computer already contain, so it is quick, and a "--- Page n ---" line marks where each page starts. Each page's text comes out as one paragraph: line breaks, columns, tables and formatting are not kept. Several PDFs can be converted at once. Scanned PDFs have no text layer, so use OCR scan for those.

How to Use

Add your PDFs

Drop one or more PDFs on the page, paste them with Ctrl+V, or click Choose PDFs.

Extract the text

Press Extract text. The text of every page is read and written to a .txt file for each PDF.

Download

Click Download to save report.txt, or Download all (ZIP) for several. If the result says no selectable text was found, the PDF is a scan: use OCR scan.

Privacy & Processing

Mode: hybrid
Files Leave Browser: Selected data may be sent to a service or peer
Max Input Size: 100 MB per file
Account Required: No
Data Stored Locally: Nothing is saved. Your files and the text are cleared when you leave the page.
Network Processing: Required for connected features

Your PDFs are read in your browser and are never uploaded.

Rules & Limitations

Only PDFs with selectable text work. Scanned or photographed pages give an empty file; OCR scan reads those.
Plain text only. Each page's text is joined into one paragraph, so line breaks, columns and tables are lost.
Hindi PDFs made with older non-Unicode fonts, such as Kruti Dev, may come out as jumbled letters. OCR scan with Hindi selected reads what is printed instead.
Up to 100 MB per PDF. A PDF that needs a password to open cannot be read.

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PDF to Text FAQ

How do I extract text from a PDF?

Add the PDF, press Extract text and click Download. You get a .txt file with the text of every page, which opens in Notepad or any text editor.

Why is the extracted text file empty?

The PDF probably contains pictures of pages, such as a scan, rather than real text. The result then warns that no selectable text was found; run the PDF through OCR scan to read it.

Does PDF to text keep paragraphs and tables?

No. The text of each page is joined into a single paragraph, so line breaks, columns and table layout are lost. Text from table cells and columns runs together.

What is the difference between PDF to text and OCR?

PDF to text copies the text that is already stored in the PDF, so it is fast and accurate for PDFs made on a computer. OCR reads the letters from images of the pages, which is slower and can make mistakes but works on scans.

How do I convert PDF to TXT on my phone?

Open this page in your phone's browser, tap Choose PDFs, pick the file and tap Extract text, then Download. The .txt file opens in any notes or file viewer app.