How to use PDF to Text
Choose a PDF, leave pages as "all" or type a range such as 1-10, then press Extract text and download the TXT file.
What comes out
You get the text in reading order with the line breaks the PDF uses, and a "Page 3" style marker before each page. Bold, fonts, images and page layout are dropped, which is what makes plain text easy to paste into an email, a script or a translation tool. For an editable Word file instead, use PDF to Word.
Scanned PDFs
A scanned page is a photo of text with no text layer, so there is nothing to extract and the tool says so. Text-based PDFs, the kind saved from Word, Google Docs or a website, work well. Columns and tables come out as plain lines, so check them before reusing the text.
How it works
PDF.js reads the text layer, line by line
Examples
- Worked example
A 10-page report becomes one TXT file with a marker before each page.
Limitations and assumptions
Only selectable text is extracted. Scanned pages are pictures of text and come out empty. Columns and tables become plain lines.
Frequently asked questions
How do I copy text from a PDF that will not let me select it?
If the PDF has a text layer, this tool extracts it even when selecting is awkward. If it is a scan, there is no text to extract.
Can I extract text from only some pages?
Yes. Type pages or ranges such as 2,5-8 instead of all.
Is the PDF uploaded?
No. The text is read in your browser and the TXT file is created on your device.