PDF to text converter
Choose a PDF and get its text as plain text that you can copy or save. It runs in your browser and nothing is uploaded.
Free · no signup Runs in your browser
How do I extract text from a PDF?
Choose the PDF and press Extract text. The text of every page is read in reading order and shown as plain text, with paragraphs separated by blank lines. Copy it or save it as a .txt file. This works for PDFs that contain real text. A scanned PDF is just pictures of pages and has no text to extract.
What it can and cannot do
Most PDFs made from documents, web pages or exports contain their text as text, even though it looks like a fixed page. This tool reads that text, joins the pieces on each line, and starts a new paragraph where there is a larger gap between lines. The result is plain text you can paste into an email, a document or a search.
There are limits. A scanned PDF holds a picture of each page, so there is no text to read, and the tool will tell you so; turning pictures of text into text needs optical character recognition (OCR), which this tool does not do. Columns, tables and footnotes can come out in a different order from how they look, because a PDF stores text in the order it was drawn, which is not always the order a person reads. Hyphenated line breaks are kept as they are, and the tool does not guess where a split word should be joined.
It runs in your browser. Your PDF is never uploaded, and there is no watermark or sign-up.
How it works in detail
Your browser opens the PDF with PDF.js, on your device, and reads the text layer of each page in the order it was drawn. Pieces on one line are joined, and a gap of more than 1.6 line heights starts a new paragraph, separated by a blank line. 'Keep the original line breaks' keeps each line as it appears in the PDF, which suits poems, addresses and code; leaving it off joins the lines of a paragraph, which suits running text. 'Mark each page' adds a marker between pages. You can copy the text or save it as a .txt file. This works only for PDFs that contain real text: a scanned PDF is just pictures, and has no text layer to read, so you need an OCR tool for it.
How to use it
- Choose the PDF.
- Decide whether to keep the original line breaks and whether to mark each page.
- Press Extract text.
- Read the result in the box; copy it, or save it as a .txt file.
- If nothing comes out, the PDF is probably a scan: use the image to text converter on the pages instead.
What changes and what stays the same
What the tool does to your file, and what it leaves alone.
| Aspect | What happens |
|---|---|
| Text | Read from the text layer, in drawing order |
| Paragraphs | Rebuilt from gaps between lines |
| Layout, fonts, colour | Not kept: the result is plain text |
| Pictures and tables | Not extracted; table cells are read as text in the order drawn |
| The original file | Never changed: the tool builds a new file and the original stays where it is |
| Privacy | The PDF is read on your device and is not uploaded; there is no account and no watermark |
When to use it
- Copying text from a PDF that will not let you select it neatly
- Getting a document's text into an email or a note
- Searching or counting words in a PDF
- Preparing text to translate or summarise
Problems you may run into
Most problems come from the file itself, not from the tool.
| What you see | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| 'This PDF is password-protected' | The file is encrypted, so the browser cannot read it | Remove the password in the program that made it (or open and print to a new PDF), then try again |
| 'This file could not be read as a PDF' | The file is damaged, or is not really a PDF (it was only renamed) | Open it in a PDF viewer to check; if it opens there, re-save it as a new PDF and try again |
| Nothing comes out | The PDF is a scan (pictures of pages) with no text layer | Use the image to text converter (OCR) on the pages |
| The text is in the wrong order | Columns and tables are read in the order they were drawn | Copy columns one at a time, or edit the result |
| Strange characters appear | The PDF's font does not map its letters to text properly | Try another viewer's copy, or use OCR on the page images |
| Lines are broken in the middle of sentences | 'Keep the original line breaks' is on | Turn it off to join the lines of a paragraph |
Mistakes it helps you avoid
- Running it on a scan and expecting text: scans need OCR.
- Trusting the order of columns and tables without checking.
- Forgetting that formatting, such as bold and font size, is not kept.
- Copying text from a document you do not have the right to copy.
How it works
Your PDF is read inside your browser.
1. Your browser opens the PDF with PDF.js, on your device.2. The text of each page is read in the order it was drawn.3. Pieces on one line are joined; a gap of more than 1.6 line heights starts a new paragraph.4. You copy the text or save it as a .txt file. Nothing is uploaded.
Text is read from the PDF's text layer. If the layer is missing, as in a scan, nothing can be extracted. 'Keep the original line breaks' keeps each line as it appears in the PDF, which suits poems, addresses and code; leaving it off joins the lines of a paragraph, which suits running text.
Example: a two-page letter
You extract the text of a two-page letter with page markers on.
- Page 1—— Page 1 —— and its paragraphs
- Page 2—— Page 2 —— and its paragraphs
- StatsThe word count is shown at the top
One block of text with the pages marked, ready to copy or save as letter.txt
A scanned letter would give no text.
Terms on this page
- Text layer
- The text stored in a PDF, as opposed to a picture of text.
- OCR
- Optical character recognition: turning a picture of text into real text.
Common questions
Why did it find no text?
The PDF is probably a scan, which is a picture of each page. Extracting text from a picture needs OCR, which this tool does not do.
Does it keep formatting?
No. Bold, fonts, tables and columns are not kept. You get plain text.
Why is the order wrong for columns or tables?
A PDF stores text in the order it was drawn, which is not always the reading order. Check columns and tables by eye.
Is my PDF uploaded?
No. Your browser reads the file on your own device. Nothing is sent over the network, so it is safe for private documents.
Can it open a password-protected PDF?
No. Remove the password first in the program that made it or in a PDF viewer, then try again.
What to work out next
Where these numbers come from
- PDF.js (Mozilla), Apache-2.0 licence The open-source PDF reader that draws pages and extracts text in your browser.
- Adobe — PDF 32000-1:2008 (ISO 32000-1), the PDF specification Pages are measured in points of 1/72 inch; how text and images are stored.
- MDN Web Docs — Using files from web applications How a page reads a file you choose without uploading it.
Last verified 2026-10-25 The method on this page is checked against the sources above at least once a year. Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we will fix it.
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