PDF to Text

Pull the text straight out of your PDF. Embedded text is read directly, scanned pages are read with OCR. Copy a page at a time, copy everything, or download it all as a text file.

Free to use
Works on any device
Stays on your device

Embedded text read exactly
Scanned pages recognised
Every page in one file
Copy it or download it

PDF

Drag & drop file here

or choose a file from your device

Choose a PDF to extract its text

PDF files only

No internet? Get the Windows appOn your phone? Get the phone app

Document languageAutomatic

We'll work out the language from the document itself.

Everything PDF to Text can do

Get the text of every page out of a PDF. Text the file already carries is read exactly, and scanned pages are recognised for you.

What it reads

Embedded text lifted exactly as the file stores it
Scanned pages recognised automatically, page by page
A document that mixes real text and scans handled throughout
Line breaks kept, so the page reads in order

Document language

Work the language out from the document itself
Bangla, English, Hindi, Arabic, Chinese, Russian, Spanish, Portuguese and Dutch
Your script and English read together, for names, dates and amounts
Name the language yourself and go straight to recognition

In the workspace

Every page on screen with its own thumbnail
Jump to any page and read its text against the page
Copy one page from the button on that page
Pages open up as each one is read

Taking the text away

Copy All Pages in a single click
Download the whole document as a .txt file
Each block labelled with its page number
Page text you can paste straight into a document

How it works

PDF to Text in three steps

Choose your PDF

Drag your file onto the panel, or click it to pick one from your device. Pages with no text layer are read in your browser as soon as the file opens. Only if your browser cannot run the reader are those pages sent to our server as images, and deleted once they have been read.

Read the text page by page

Each page has its own Copy button. Copy the whole document at once, or download everything as a .txt file with the pages kept in order.

Copy or download

Recognised text is an estimate rather than a transcription, so check anything you intend to rely on, especially numbers.

Step by step

PDF to Text: a visual walkthrough

Embedded text is read directly. Scanned pages are recognised instead, in any of nine languages, detected automatically.

Choose your PDF
Drag your file onto the panel, or click it to pick one from your device. Pages with no text layer are read in your browser as soon as the file opens. Only if your browser cannot run the reader are those pages sent to our server as images, and deleted once they have been read.
Read the text page by page
Each page has its own Copy button. Copy the whole document at once, or download everything as a .txt file with the pages kept in order.
Copy or download
Recognised text is an estimate rather than a transcription, so check anything you intend to rely on, especially numbers.

Frequently asked questions about PDF to Text

How do I copy text from a PDF?

Open the PDF here and its text appears page by page. Copy a single page, copy the whole document at once, or download everything as a .txt file.

Does it work on scanned PDFs?

Yes. Pages with a real text layer are read exactly; pages without one are recognised with OCR. The two are handled automatically in the same document.

Can I copy just one page?

Yes. Every page has its own copy button, and you can also copy the whole document or download it as a .txt file with page numbering preserved.

Is the extracted text exact?

Yes, for pages that already contain text, because the text is read directly. For scanned pages, the text is recognised and may contain mistakes.

Will it keep tables and columns?

No. The text comes out as plain lines, page by page. Tables lose their grid, and on a page laid out in several columns, lines from neighbouring columns can run together. For tables, PDF to Excel keeps the cells.

What happens to my file?

It stays on your device. Your browser reads the text, and recognises scanned pages too, so the PDF is not uploaded. Only if your browser cannot run the reader are the scanned pages sent to our server instead, as images, over an encrypted connection, and deleted as soon as they have been read. We keep a record that the tool was used, but not what is in the file.

Is it free?

Yes. Every tool works without paying and without an account. Files can be up to 200 pages and 50 MB, and a run that fails costs you nothing. Pro removes the limits.

Do I need to create an account?

No. All tools work without signing in. An account raises your allowance and lets you see what you have processed.