Convert PDF to text

What PDF to text does

It reads the text stored in the PDF page by page and writes it to a .txt file, with a blank line between pages. Use it to quote, search, translate or paste the content into another tool, or to feed a long document into software that only takes plain text.

How to convert PDF to text

Drop one or more PDFs above and press Convert all. PDF.js opens each file in your browser and collects the text items on every page in the order the file stores them. Each PDF becomes a .txt file with the same name. Download them one at a time or together as a ZIP.

Scanned PDFs need OCR

This tool reads the text layer, not pictures of text. A scanned PDF that holds only images has no text to read, so the output will be empty. PDFs made from Word, a browser or other software work well. For scans, run the PDF through OCR PDF first to add a text layer, then convert it here.

Layout

Plain text can't keep columns, tables or exact spacing. The text follows the reading order stored in the file, so two-column articles may interleave lines and table cells come out as a run of words. Expect the words and paragraphs, not the original layout.

Before you start

Input: PDF. Output: TXT. The settings appear before anything runs, so you can check them first. Your original file is never changed.

If layout, notes, forms, signatures or fonts matter, check the new PDF page by page. A file that opens is not the same as a file that looks right.

Keep the original until you have opened and checked the result. The work happens in this browser tab, so the size you can handle depends on your device's memory, your browser and the file itself.

Steps to convert PDF to text

1. Drop your PDF files into the box above, or browse to pick them.
2. Press Convert all. The text is read in your browser.
3. Each PDF becomes a matching .txt file.
4. Download each text file, or all of them as a ZIP.