Students
Create plain-text study notes
Extract passages from selectable PDFs without keeping the page layout or styling.
A useful PDF task, made simple
PDF to Text.
Extract selectable PDF text into a UTF-8 text file.
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Original PDF
This page could not be previewed. Try another page or reopen the file.
Extracted text
No selectable text was found. For scanned pages or images, use PDF OCR to recognize the text.
Continue in PDF OCRShowing the first 200 KB in this view. Copy and download include the full text.
Use the page controls to inspect your document.
100%
Your file is ready.
Download your result, or return to the settings to make another version.
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Your PDF is uploaded once for safe text extraction. Previews and downloads reuse that result.
PDF
How to pdf to text
- 01
Choose your document
Your PDF is uploaded once for safe text extraction. Previews and downloads reuse that result.
- 02
Set up the result
Compare your PDF with its extracted text, choose pages, then download one text file or separate files in a ZIP.
- 03
Download your file
Save the result and check it before sharing.
PDF to Text
Extract selectable PDF text into a UTF-8 text file. Select all pages or a page range. Separate-page export includes a combined text file. Scanned pages require PDF OCR first.
QUICK VIDEO TUTORIAL
How to convert a PDF to editable text
Get the words out of a text-based PDF.
English narration
Watch the video
Practical ways to use this tool
Researchers
Collect quotes for review
Check names, numbers and reading order against the source, especially in multi-column documents.
Writers & publishers
Start an editable text draft
Export TXT for use in a text editor, choosing separate page files when page-level references matter.
Features and controls
Read combined text or one page at a time
Review extracted text in the browser without navigating PDF thumbnails.
Text views, copy and downloads
Opening the PDF sends it to the server to extract its text. The text viewer offers a combined view and a page-by-page view. Change the page selection, copy text or download the current text view. Large text previews can be shortened on screen while the complete extracted text remains available for download.
Save combined and per-page text
Choose one TXT file or a ZIP with a text file for each page.
Combined TXT versus page ZIP
Separate text file for each page adds numbered page text files and combined.txt to the ZIP. With the option off, the download is a single combined TXT. Extraction uses available text in page reading order; columns, unusual encodings and an inaccurate OCR layer can produce an imperfect order or characters.
Choose the pages you need
Process the whole document or enter specific page numbers and ranges.
Page ranges and numbering
Use PDF positions, starting at 1, rather than numbers printed on the page. A list such as 1, 3-5 includes four pages. A blank range uses every page. Check the preview when the document includes a cover or differently numbered chapters. Only the chosen pages are included in this conversion.
Use OCR for image-only pages
Text extraction reads a text layer; it does not recognize letters in images.
Scans, empty pages and OCR
Extraction uses an existing text layer and does not recognize letters in page images. If a page has no readable text, use PDF OCR separately. A blank page can also produce no text. For mixed PDFs, inspect empty or unreadable pages individually. OCR processes one selected page at a time.
Supported files & processing
- Input
- Output
- TXT, ZIP
Open one PDF up to 100 MB and 750 source pages. Protected files need an unlocked copy unless this tool explicitly offers password entry. Large or complex pages can require more memory or reach processing limits even when the file is within these limits.
Processing uses our servers. Source files, temporary files and results are deleted from our servers within 30 minutes after processing finishes. We do not share document contents with third parties or use them to train AI models.
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FAQ
A few useful answers
Know what to expect before you start.
Temporary server processingCan I read and copy the text before downloading?
Opening the PDF sends it to the server to extract its text. The text viewer offers a combined view and a page-by-page view. Change the page selection, copy text or download the current text view. Large text previews can be shortened on screen while the complete extracted text remains available for download.
Can I get a separate text file for each page?
Separate text file for each page adds numbered page text files and combined.txt to the ZIP. With the option off, the download is a single combined TXT. Extraction uses available text in page reading order; columns, unusual encodings and an inaccurate OCR layer can produce an imperfect order or characters.
Should I use PDF to TXT or PDF OCR?
Extraction uses an existing text layer and does not recognize letters in page images. If a page has no readable text, use PDF OCR separately. A blank page can also produce no text. For mixed PDFs, inspect empty or unreadable pages individually. OCR processes one selected page at a time.
What are the file and page limits?
Open one PDF up to 100 MB and 750 source pages. Protected files need an unlocked copy unless this tool explicitly offers password entry. Large or complex pages can require more memory or reach processing limits even when the file is within these limits.
Where is my document processed?
This tool uses our servers for processing. Your original file is not overwritten; the result is a separate download. Preview and review the result where available, and download the copy you need before starting over.
