PDF to Text
Extract all text from a PDF into a plain TXT file.
Pull every word out of a searchable PDF into a plain-text file. Page boundaries are preserved with clear separators. Ideal for copying quotes, indexing documents or feeding text into other tools. Runs entirely in your browser.
Your files are processed locally in your browser. Nothing is uploaded to a server, ever.
Tip
Drop your file here or click to browse. Everything is processed on this device — nothing is uploaded.
Quick answers
- What does this tool do?
- Extract all text from a PDF into a plain TXT file. Pull every word out of a searchable PDF into a plain-text file. Page boundaries are preserved with clear separators.
- Is it free?
- Yes — free and unlimited, with no account required and no watermark on the result.
- What files are supported?
- PDF files, up to 100 MB each.
- Where is my file processed?
- Entirely in your browser. Your file never leaves your device — nothing is uploaded to a server.
- What are the limitations?
- Only searchable (text-layer) PDFs extract cleanly — scanned pages come out empty. Complex multi-column layouts may lose reading order.
- What happens if processing fails?
- You get a clear message explaining what went wrong and how to fix it (try another file, check the format, or start over). Your original file is never touched.
How to PDF to Text
- Upload the PDF you want to extract text from.
- Optionally enter a page range (e.g. 1-3, 5) to extract only part of the document.
- Click "Process" — the text is extracted page by page.
- Download your .txt file.
Frequently asked questions
Common problems and fixes
- The output has empty or missing text
Why: the source pages were a scan or an image — there is no text layer to convert.
Fix: run the OCR PDF tool on the file first to add a searchable text layer, then convert again.
- Tables and columns come out jumbled
Why: a PDF stores positions on a page, not rows and cells, so designed layouts are reconstructed approximately.
Fix: for data you need in a spreadsheet, use the Extract Tables tool instead — it is built for that job.
- Fonts look slightly different in the converted file
Why: a PDF embeds glyph shapes rather than font families, so the closest available font is substituted.
Fix: expect near-identical text flow rather than pixel-perfect type; fix fonts in the target app if exactness matters.
Who uses PDF to Text?
- Students and researchers — turning readings, papers and handouts into editable notes they can annotate and quote from.
- Office teams — reusing content from reports and statements without retyping it by hand.
- Anyone handling confidential documents — the conversion runs in your browser, so contracts and financial files never leave your device.