How do I extract text from a PDF?

Simply drag and drop your PDF file onto the tool or click to browse. The text will be extracted instantly in your browser.

Does this work with scanned PDFs?

This tool extracts embedded text from PDFs. For scanned documents (image-based PDFs), you'll need our Image to Text (OCR) tool instead.

Can I extract text from specific pages only?

Yes! Use the page selector to choose all pages, first page only, or a specific page range.

Is my PDF uploaded to a server?

No. All processing happens entirely in your browser using PDF.js. Your file never leaves your device.

What formats can I get the text in?

The extracted text is available as plain text (.txt). You can copy it to clipboard or download the file.

100% Local

PDF to Text

Extract the text content from any PDF file — fast, free, and entirely in your browser.

100% local

Pages

Separator

Drop your PDF here or click to browse

or browse your files

PDF · Max 100 MB per file

Result

The result will appear here

Learn more

Everything about PDF to text extraction

Why extract text from PDFs?

PDFs lock content into a fixed layout that's hard to edit or reuse. Extracting the text lets you copy quotes, analyze data, feed content into other tools, or make scanned documents searchable. Our extractor handles both native PDFs (with embedded text) and uses the PDF structure to preserve reading order — no OCR needed for digital PDFs.

Common use cases

Extracting article text from academic papers for citation or analysis. Pulling data tables from financial reports or invoices for spreadsheet import. Converting PDF ebooks or manuals into editable text documents. Making archived documents searchable by extracting their content. Extracting email addresses, phone numbers, or structured data from PDF forms. Feeding PDF content into translation tools, summarizers, or AI assistants.

Quality & technical details

Uses PDF.js to parse the document structure and extract text layer content. Preserves paragraph structure and reading order from the original layout. Handles multi-column layouts, headers, footers, and page numbers. Supports PDFs with embedded fonts, Unicode characters, and right-to-left text. Processing happens entirely in your browser — documents never leave your device. Works with PDFs up to 100 MB on the free plan. Output is plain UTF-8 text that you can copy, download, or paste anywhere.

How it works

Extract text in 3 steps

Upload your PDF
Drag and drop your PDF file or click to browse your files.
Choose pages
Select which pages to extract: all, first only, or a custom range.
Copy or download
Copy the extracted text to clipboard or download it as a .txt file.

Practical guides

Get the most out of PDF to Text

Fast extraction

This tool uses PDF.js to parse your PDF and extract all embedded text content, preserving the reading order.

It works with any PDF that contains selectable text — reports, articles, forms, and more.

Instant results

Privacy first

Your PDF file is processed entirely in your browser. No data is sent to any server.

Whether you're extracting confidential reports or personal documents, your privacy is guaranteed.

100% browser-side processing

Frequently asked questions

PDF to Text — FAQ

Everything you need to know about our PDF text extractor