PDF to Text Converter
Extract the real, selectable text from a PDF into a plain .txt file. Runs entirely in your browser — files are never uploaded to a server.
Click to upload or drag and drop
Select a PDF file
How it works
This tool reads the PDF's own internal text layer — the same data your browser uses when you select and copy text from a PDF — so it is fast and accurate for normal PDFs. If the whole file contains almost no text (about 20 characters or fewer), it assumes the pages are scans and automatically runs English-only OCR on every page instead, which takes a few seconds per page. It skips OCR whenever there is any real text, so image-only pages inside an otherwise text-based PDF come out empty.
For scans in another language, or to force OCR on every page, use Scanned PDF to Text (OCR). If your text is in a photo or screenshot rather than a PDF, use Image to Text (OCR).
Frequently asked questions
Does this use OCR?
Only as a fallback. It reads the PDF's own text layer directly. If the whole file contains almost no text (about 20 characters or fewer, which usually means scanned pages), it switches to OCR on every page automatically, in English only, which is much slower than reading a text layer.
When should I use Scanned PDF to Text instead?
When the scan isn't in English, or when only some pages are scanned. This tool skips OCR whenever the PDF has any real text at all, so image-only pages in a mixed PDF come out empty. Scanned PDF to Text runs OCR on every page and lets you choose from six languages.
Will formatting like tables or columns be preserved?
No — this extracts plain text in reading order, without layout, fonts, or table structure.