EveryPDFToolPDF to Text Converter Online
Extract selectable text from PDF files and download the written content as a plain UTF-8 TXT file.
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Maximum file size: 50 MBExtract text from PDF online
Convert a digital PDF into plain text when the document already contains selectable characters. The extracted content is saved as a UTF-8 TXT file with page markers.
If the PDF is scanned or image-based, use OCR PDF to Text instead.
How to convert PDF to text
Extract selectable text from a PDF
PDF to Text is useful when you need the written content of a PDF without preserving the full page layout. It can simplify copying, searching, quoting, analyzing, or reusing text from reports, articles, notes, manuals, and other documents.
Which PDFs work best?
Text-based PDFs with selectable characters usually extract cleanly. Multi-column layouts, tables, headers, footers, unusual reading order, and embedded fonts can affect how the plain text is arranged.
PDF to Text vs OCR
Use PDF to Text when the document already contains selectable text. If the PDF is a scan or contains page images instead of text, use OCR PDF to Text or Extract Text from Scanned PDF.
PDF to Text vs PDF to Word
Choose PDF to Text when formatting is not important. Choose PDF to Word when you need an editable DOCX and want to preserve more document structure.
Download PDF text as a TXT file
The extracted content is saved as a UTF-8 TXT file that can be opened in text editors, note-taking apps and other software that supports plain text.
PDF text extractor for digital PDFs
This tool works best when the PDF already contains selectable text. If you can highlight and copy words in the original PDF, the text can usually be extracted directly without OCR.
Scanned PDF or image-based PDF?
If the document contains page images instead of selectable characters, use OCR PDF to Text instead.
Extraction limitations
Plain-text output does not preserve the original PDF design, page styling, images, or exact table formatting. Multi-column layouts and unusual reading order can also affect the result.
Frequently asked questions
How do I extract text from a PDF?
Upload a PDF that contains selectable text, start the conversion, and download the extracted content as a UTF-8 TXT file.
Does this PDF to Text tool use OCR?
No. It extracts text that already exists in the PDF. Use OCR PDF to Text for scanned or image-only documents.
What happens with scanned PDFs?
Image-only scanned PDFs may return no text and require an OCR tool.
How is the text downloaded?
The extracted content is provided as a UTF-8 TXT file.