PDF to Text

Pull the text out of a document as a .txt file.

Runs in your browser

Drop a PDF here

or tap to begin

Any size. Handled on your device.

How it works

  1. 1Open the PDF.
  2. 2Wait while the text layer is read page by page.
  3. 3Review the extracted text in the preview.
  4. 4Export it as a .txt file, or copy it straight to the clipboard.

What this does to your file

The document's existing text layer is read out in reading order, with a blank line between pages. Nothing is re-typed or interpreted, so what you get is exactly the text stored inside the file.

Common questions

Is my file uploaded to a server?

No. The page loads a PDF engine into your browser and the document is read from disk by that engine. There is no upload endpoint, and once the page has loaded you can disconnect from the network and the tool still works.

Why is the result empty?

The document is a scan — a picture of text with no text layer to read. Run OCR on it first, then extract the text.

Is the layout preserved?

Line breaks are kept, but multi-column layouts, tables and text boxes come out in the order they are stored in the file, which may not match how the page looks.

Can I copy it instead of downloading a file?

Yes, the extracted text can be copied to the clipboard directly from the preview.

How large a file can I use?

The limit is your device's memory rather than a server quota. Documents up to a few hundred pages are routine; very large scanned files may need a desktop browser with more memory available.

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