PDF to Text
Extract plain text from any PDF file instantly in your browser. Copy to clipboard or download as a .txt file — no uploads needed.
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Drop a PDF here or
PDF files only · Files never leave your browser.
PDF to Text extracts all readable text from any PDF file directly in your browser — no uploads, no account required. Paste the result into a document, translate it, search it, or download it as a plain .txt file in seconds.
How PDF to Text Works
This tool uses PDF.js, an open-source library, to parse your PDF file locally. It reads the text layer embedded in the PDF, reconstructs reading order based on character positions, and outputs clean plain text — page by page or as a single block.
When to Use This Tool
- Copy text from a locked PDF — extract content you can't select in a viewer.
- Feed text into AI tools — paste extracted text into ChatGPT, translation services, or summarisers.
- Archive or index documents — convert scanned-text PDFs (with a text layer) to searchable plain text.
- Quick data extraction — pull tables, lists, or paragraphs without opening desktop software.
Extraction Options
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
| Insert page breaks | Adds a separator line between pages so you know where each page ends |
| Add page numbers | Prefixes each page's text with ── Page N ── for reference |
Limitations
- Image-only PDFs — scanned documents without an embedded text layer will produce no output. Use an OCR tool for those.
- Complex layouts — multi-column layouts, footnotes, and sidebars may not reconstruct perfectly.
- Tables — cell alignment in tables is not preserved; values are extracted as plain lines.
- Fonts — some PDFs use custom encodings or embedded fonts; characters may appear as symbols.
FAQ
Does the file get uploaded to a server?
No. Everything happens in your browser. Your PDF never leaves your device.
Can I extract text from a password-protected PDF?
Not if the PDF is encrypted. Open the PDF in a viewer first to remove the password, then use this tool.
Why is my extracted text out of order?
PDF format stores text in drawing order, not reading order. The tool sorts text items by vertical and horizontal position, which works for most standard documents. Complex multi-column layouts may still be out of order.
What file size is supported?
There is no hard limit — it depends on your device's available memory. Very large PDFs (100+ MB) may be slow or run out of memory on low-RAM devices.
Can I extract text from multiple PDFs at once?
Currently one file at a time. Reset and drop the next file to process multiple PDFs sequentially.