About Extract text from PDF
Use PDF to text online to reuse paragraphs from a digitally created report or document. This tool can extract selectable text from a PDF and save a plain-text copy locally. It reads text objects already present in the file rather than recognizing text in pictures.
How to extract text from a PDF
- Select a PDF with selectable text and no password protection.
- Select Process and review the extracted text in the preview.
- Download the TXT result, or continue to a text tool for comparison or counting.
A practical example
- Input
A PDF with selectable text on two pages.
- Result
A -text.txt file containing the extracted page text separated by blank lines.
Plain text does not retain fonts, precise columns, tables, or the original page layout.
Supported input and limitations
- OCR is not included. Scanned, photographed, or image-only pages may yield no text.
- Reading order depends on the PDF's text objects. Columns, ligatures, and unusual fonts can require manual cleanup. The input limit is 100 MB.
Processing happens on your device. Read about local processing and optional workspace recovery.
Frequently asked questions
Why does my PDF produce no extracted text?
It may contain only scanned images. Try selecting text in a PDF viewer; if nothing can be selected, OCR is usually needed first.
Can I convert a PDF table to editable Excel cells?
This tool produces plain text, not a structured spreadsheet. Table boundaries and column alignment are not reconstructed.