PDF to text
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Convert PDF to text in seconds. Copy the words you can select into a .txt file. Free, no sign-up, and your file never leaves your device.
Stays on your device
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How to extract text from a PDF
PDF to text copies the words you can select in a PDF into a plain text file named document.txt. It reads each page from top to bottom, and each line from left to right. Words on one line are joined with single spaces, and a blank line separates one page from the next. Fonts, pictures and layout are not kept. Two columns side by side may run together, because words at the same height land on the same line. Plain text works well for search, notes, email or a screen reader. Want a Word file instead? Use PDF to Word.
Your file stays on your device. It is never uploaded, and nothing is kept after you close the page. PDF to Word and OCR PDF work differently: they upload your file to our server and delete it within 30 minutes.
PDF to text is free, with no account, no daily limit and no page limit. The only limit is your device's memory, so a very large file may not fit.
Password-protected? Unlock it first with Unlock PDF. If the file is empty, damaged or not a PDF, try another copy. If your PDF is a scan or a photo, it has no text to select, and the tool tells you it needs OCR, which reads the letters in a picture. Use OCR PDF for that. To save each page as a picture instead, use PDF to JPG.
How to use this tool
- Choose your file. It never leaves your device.
- Pick a setting, if the page has one.
- Download your new file.
Common questions
What is inside the text file I get?
The text you can select in the PDF, as plain text in document.txt. Lines run from the top of each page down, with words left to right, joined by single spaces. A blank line separates pages. It is not a Word file or a PDF, and fonts, pictures and columns are not kept.
Is my PDF uploaded when I turn it into text?
No. Your file stays on your device and is never uploaded. PDF to Word is different: it uploads your file to our server and deletes it within 30 minutes.
Will two columns stay as two columns?
No. The tool reads across the whole page, line by line, so words from two columns at the same height end up on the same line. Fonts, pictures and layout are not kept. The download is a plain text file, document.txt.
How do I get text from a scanned PDF?
A scan is a picture of a page, so it has no text to select. This tool stops and tells you a scan needs OCR. OCR PDF can read the words from a picture. It uploads your file to our server and deletes it within 30 minutes.