PDF to Text
Extract plain text from any PDF file.
Drop your file here, or browse
PDF — max 50 MB
How it works
- 1
Upload your PDF file
- 2
We extract all the text content
- 3
Download a plain .txt file
Features
- Extracts all readable text from the PDF
- Preserves reading order and layout
- Plain .txt output, opens in any editor
- No signup required
- Files deleted immediately after extraction
PDF is a scan with no selectable text? OCR PDF reads scanned pages →
Need an editable Word file instead? PDF to Word preserves formatting →
Need to translate the extracted text? Translate PDF supports 25+ languages →
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between PDF to Text and OCR PDF?
PDF to Text extracts the existing text layer from a digital PDF, so it works instantly on any PDF created from a Word document, Google Docs, or a typesetting tool. OCR PDF uses Tesseract to read text from scanned or image-based PDFs where no text layer exists.
Will the text order be correct?
We use pdftotext with layout preservation, so reading order is maintained for most standard documents. Complex multi-column layouts may need light cleanup.
What if my PDF has no extractable text?
If the PDF is a scan, there's no text layer to extract. Use our OCR PDF tool instead; it reads the pages as images and pulls out the text.
Does it preserve formatting like bold or headings?
Plain .txt has no formatting. Bold, italics, font sizes, and colors are all stripped, leaving raw text content. Try PDF to Word instead if you need the formatting preserved.
What encoding does the .txt file use?
UTF-8. Opens correctly in any modern text editor, code editor, or terminal.
Do I need to sign up?
No account required. Guests get one conversion per day; free accounts get 10.
Is there a file size limit?
50 MB per file.
Is my file safe?
Your file is processed in memory and deleted the moment your download starts. Nothing is stored.