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PDF to Text

Pull the text layer out of a digital PDF into a plain .txt file, all pages or a selection.

Browser-first · upload only when a format needs it

Pull the text layer out of a digital PDF into a plain .txt file, all pages or a selection.

Opens PDF

or drop files and folders hereUp to 500 MB per file on the free plan · older formats use the server encoderFolders are welcome

How it works

  1. 01

    Choose a file for PDF to Text. It accepts PDF. Most files stay in this tab.

  2. 02

    Set the options on the workbench — preview, crop or timeline when this tool has one — then press Run.

  3. 03

    Download the result. It is also saved in your tray so the next tool can pick it up without another upload.

About this tool

Add a PDF and export. The text layer is read page by page and saved as UTF-8 text with line breaks preserved, ready to paste anywhere. Scanned PDFs have no text layer — they are pictures of text — and will report that nothing was found; OCR is not part of this tool.

Questions

What can I open in PDF to Text?
PDF to Text accepts PDF. Older video containers such as AVI, WMV, FLV, MPEG and 3GP are decoded by the server encoder.
Does PDF to Text upload my file?
Most MP4, WebM, images and PDF stay in this tab. Instagram/TikTok crops, DVD, GIF, iPhone presets, stabilize, hard containers (AVI, WMV, HEVC) and a failed local encode go to the server encoder. The file is processed and discarded — we do not keep a copy.
How large can the file be?
Free: 500 MB and 8 exports a day. Plus (waitlist) raises the daily cap. A pasted public file URL is also accepted.

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