PDF to Text
Extract text from a PDF file and download it as .txt. Free online PDF text extractor.
Free · No sign-upHow to use PDF to Text
- 1. Drop a PDF file into the box or click to browse. The file is read by the PDF.js library in your browser, page by page.
- 2. Wait a moment while the text of every page is extracted. Line breaks are kept where the PDF marks them, with a blank line between pages.
- 3. Review the extracted text in the box. If it says no selectable text was found, the PDF is a scanned image and needs OCR instead.
- 4. Click Download .txt to save a plain-text file named after your PDF, or Copy to paste the text into another app.
Frequently asked questions
Is the PDF to text converter free, and is there a page limit?
It is free with no sign-up. Every page in the PDF is extracted; there is no set page limit, although very large files take longer and use more browser memory because the work happens on your own device.
Is my PDF uploaded when I extract its text?
No. The PDF is opened with PDF.js, which the page loads from a public CDN, and the text is extracted in your browser. Your document isn’t sent to our server, which makes it suitable for contracts, statements and other private files.
How do I extract text from a scanned PDF?
Just drop it in. Scanned pages have no text layer, so the tool reads them with OCR right in your browser (up to 60 pages; nothing is uploaded) and gives you the recognized text. Faint or skewed scans read less accurately, so proofread names and numbers.
Why is the extracted text from my PDF out of order?
PDF files store text as positioned pieces, not paragraphs. Multi-column layouts, tables, headers and footers can come out in reading order that differs from what you see. Copy the text into an editor and tidy the sections that matter.
Can I convert a password-protected PDF to text?
If the PDF needs a password to open, the tool can’t read it and shows an error. Remove the password first with our Unlock PDF tool, using the password you already know, then extract the text.
What format is the extracted text saved in?
You get a plain .txt file with no formatting, which opens in Notepad, TextEdit, Word, Google Docs or any code editor. Fonts, images and layout are not kept; only the selectable text from each page is saved.