Extract words from a PDF into a plain TXT file. Use selectable-text extraction for digital documents or optional English OCR for scans. The download includes a label for each page and line breaks, making it useful for searching, quoting and reusing text.
How to extract text from a PDF
- Choose one PDF. Provide its opening password if prompted and you are allowed to read the file.
- Leave OCR off when the PDF contains selectable text. If the pages are scans, enable Use OCR for scanned pages (slower, English).
- Select Convert & download and keep the tab open. The converter processes all pages into one TXT file.
- Open the text file and compare it with the original, especially columns, headings, numbers and any pages listed in conversion warnings.
Choose extraction or OCR
Selectable-text extraction reads the PDF text layer directly. It is usually the better starting point for documents created from a word processor. Complex columns or unusual text positioning can still affect reading order.
OCR renders pages and recognizes their English text. When enabled, it is used for every page, including pages that already contain text. It costs more time and memory and can misread blurry scans or handwriting. Try normal extraction first for a mixed document, then review the warnings.
What a TXT file retains
The export groups text into lines and separates pages with labels such as Page 1. It does not preserve fonts, images, colors, clickable PDF links, form behavior or exact layout. Tables become lines rather than structured spreadsheet cells.
For example, extract a report to find a phrase in a text editor, then check its original page before reusing it. If every page lacks readable text, conversion reports an error instead of providing a misleading empty document.
Privacy and memory limits
Text extraction and OCR happen in your browser; the PDF is not sent to our conversion API. OCR loads recognition resources, and normal website requests still occur.
For long scans, split the PDF into smaller parts and process them separately. Keep your original file: a TXT export does not retain digital signatures or PDF security settings.
Frequently asked questions
Why is my text missing or in the wrong order?
A page may contain only an image, a poor text layer or complex columns. Try English OCR for scans, and compare the output with the source. No mode guarantees perfect reading order.
Does OCR support other languages?
The current OCR option uses English recognition. Selectable-text extraction can still recover other languages when the PDF has a usable text layer, but you should check the result.
Can I keep tables as spreadsheet columns?
Use PDF to Excel with column detection for simple aligned tables containing selectable text. Plain TXT does not store spreadsheet cells.