How to convert PDF to text
- 1 Drop your PDF into the box or press browse.
- 2 Wait a moment while each page is read. Long documents show their progress.
- 3 Turn page markers on or off.
- 4 Press Copy text or Download .txt.
Why some PDFs have no text to extract
There are two kinds of PDF. Files made by Word, Google Docs, websites and most software contain real text, which this tool extracts exactly. Scanned documents and photos saved as PDF contain only pictures of text, so there is nothing to extract.
For those, convert the page to an image with PDF to JPG and read it with our Image to Text (OCR) tool. Once you have the text, the Word Counter gives an instant word count, and Text to PDF turns edited text back into a clean document.
Features
Reading order
Text is rebuilt line by line in the order it appears on the page.
Page markers
See where each page starts, or hide the markers.
Word count
Instant word and character totals.
Copy or download
Copy everything or save a plain text file.
When to use it
Editing documents
Reuse text from a PDF in Word or Google Docs. Count the words of the extracted text with the Word Counter.
Research
Quote passages from papers and reports. Clean up odd spacing with Remove Extra Spaces or Remove Line Breaks.
Translation
Paste the text into a translation tool. Scanned pages need Image to Text (OCR) instead.
Word counts
Count the words in a PDF essay or article. Check reading time with the Reading Time Calculator.
Related PDF tasks
Frequently asked questions
Is my PDF uploaded to a server?
No. The file is opened and edited by your own browser. Nothing is sent to us or anyone else, so it is safe for contracts, statements and personal documents. Once the page has loaded, the tool even works offline.
Why is no text found in my PDF?
The PDF is probably a scan or made of photos, so it has no text layer, only pictures of text. Reading those needs OCR, which this tool does not do.
Will tables keep their layout?
Rows are kept on separate lines, but columns become spaces, so complex tables may need tidying.
Does it keep bold and headings?
No. The output is plain text without formatting.
Can it read other languages?
Yes. Text in any language that is stored as text in the PDF, including Urdu, Arabic and Hindi, is extracted.
Can I count words in a PDF?
Yes. The word and character counts appear above the text.
Is there a page limit?
No fixed limit. Hundreds of pages take a little longer.
Can I extract text from a password-protected PDF?
No. Remove the password first.
Can I convert the text into a Word document?
Yes. Copy the text and paste it into Word or Google Docs, then add headings and formatting as needed.
Why does some text appear in the wrong order?
PDFs with several columns or text boxes can store text in an unusual order. Check multi-column pages after extracting.
Is the text extraction accurate?
For PDFs made from Word, websites or other software, the text is copied exactly as stored in the file.
Can I search the extracted text?
Yes. Copy it into any editor and use its search, or press Ctrl+F on the page.
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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