How to convert PDF to Markdown
- 1 Drop your PDF on the box, or click browse to choose it.
- 2 Choose whether to add a --- line between pages.
- 3 Press Convert to Markdown to download the .md file.
- 4 Read the result in the box, or press Copy to paste it into your notes or editor.
Using Markdown from PDFs
Markdown keeps headings, lists and tables in plain text that note apps and AI tools understand. For a web page, use PDF to HTML; for raw text without formatting, use PDF to Text.
- Check multi-column pages for mixed text.
- Tables become Markdown tables when columns are clear.
- Add --- between pages for long documents.
Features
Headings and lists
Structure is rebuilt as Markdown syntax.
Joined paragraphs
Broken PDF lines become proper paragraphs.
Copy or download
Paste anywhere or save a .md file.
When to use it
Notes apps
Bring PDF content into Obsidian, Notion, Bear or Joplin. To clean up the text further, use the Text Cleaner in our text tools.
Documentation and wikis
Move old PDF manuals into GitHub, GitLab or a docs site.
AI tools
Many AI assistants handle Markdown better than raw PDF text, with headings intact. For plain text, use PDF to Text.
Blogging
Convert a PDF article into Markdown for static site generators. For HTML, use PDF to HTML.
Related PDF tasks
Frequently asked questions
What is Markdown?
Markdown is a plain text format that uses simple symbols for formatting, such as # for headings and - for list items. It is easy to read as text and converts neatly to HTML.
How are headings detected?
Text that is larger or bold compared with the main body text becomes a heading. The largest becomes #, the next ##, and short bold lines ###.
Are tables converted?
Tables come across as lines of text. For tables, PDF to Excel gives better results, and you can convert the spreadsheet to a Markdown table afterwards.
Are images included?
No. Markdown output contains text only. Save page images separately with PDF to PNG if needed.
Why are some lines joined or split oddly?
PDFs store text in positioned pieces, not paragraphs. Multi-column layouts, footnotes and headers can be mixed into the text. Check and tidy the result.
Can I convert scanned PDFs?
Scanned PDFs contain pictures of text, so the result will be empty. Use Image to Text in our image tools first.
Which apps open .md files?
Obsidian, Typora, VS Code, Notion import, GitHub and most text editors open Markdown files.
Are special characters escaped?
Characters that Markdown uses for formatting, such as * and #, are escaped so they appear as written.
Why convert PDFs to Markdown for AI tools?
Markdown keeps headings, lists and tables as plain text, so AI assistants and search tools can see the structure of the document. It is also much smaller than the PDF and easy to edit before you paste it into a prompt or a knowledge base.
Can I edit the Markdown before downloading?
The download happens straight away, but you can open the .md file in any text editor, or copy the result from the box, make changes and save it yourself.
Is my PDF uploaded?
No. The text is read and converted in your browser, so the file stays on your device.
How this tool works. These PDF tools run entirely in your browser using two widely used open-source libraries: PDF.js, the PDF engine built into Firefox, to read and render pages, and pdf-lib to create and edit files. Each tool is tested with typed documents, phone scans and photo-heavy files before it goes live, and nothing you open is sent to a server.
Built and reviewed by Hamza Farooq, founder and lead developer
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