PDF to Text
Extract all text from a PDF and copy or save it as .txt.
About this tool
PDF to Text pulls the text layer out of a PDF so you can copy, search or edit it. It also counts words and characters, and can mark where each page starts. Your files are processed on your own device. Nothing is uploaded to our servers.
How to use PDF to Text
- Choose a PDF.
- Wait a moment while the text of every page is read.
- Press “Copy text” or “Download .txt”.
Questions people ask
Why is the result empty?
Scanned PDFs are pictures of pages and contain no text layer. Convert the pages to images with PDF to PNG and run them through an OCR (image to text) tool instead.
Is the layout kept?
Line breaks are kept, but columns, tables and fonts are not, because plain text has no layout. Multi-column pages may read column by column or line by line depending on how the PDF was made.
Which character encoding is the .txt file?
UTF-8, which opens correctly in Notepad, TextEdit, Word and every code editor, and supports all languages and symbols.
Guides for PDF to Text
- How to check a PDF before sharing sensitive information
- How to check whether a resume PDF can be read by hiring software
- Best ways to turn a PDF into an editable document
- Local vs upload-based file tools: how to choose for private documents
- How to recover editable text from a PDF
- A practical guide to converting PDF, images, and spreadsheet data