How to convert PDF to Text
- Drop your PDF file into the box above, or click it to choose from your device.
- Text is already selected for you. Press "Convert to Plain text".
- Download each new Text file, or grab them all at once as a ZIP.
Why convert PDF to Plain text?
PDF files are best for documents that must print and look identical everywhere. Plain text is the better choice for raw text with no formatting. It opens in everything, while PDF opens in every browser and operating system.
This conversion reads the words out of your PDF file rather than copying its look, so images, colours and styling are left behind. Accuracy depends on how clear the original is: digital files come out exact, while photos and scans can have the odd misread character.
PDF vs Plain text at a glance
| Plain text | ||
|---|---|---|
| Compression | Fixed layout holding text, vectors or scanned images | None |
| Opens in | Every browser and operating system | Everything |
| Best for | documents that must print and look identical everywhere | raw text with no formatting |
What happens to your file
PDF.js, the open-source engine behind Firefox's PDF viewer, reads the text layer of every page in order and keeps line breaks where the document had them. Pages are separated by a blank line so the result stays easy to scan.
Tips for a clean conversion
- Drop a whole folder's worth of PDF files at once. They convert one after another and you can download everything as a single ZIP.
- Keep your original PDF files until you have checked the results. Converting back later is rarely lossless.
- Text keeps everything it receives, so the result is only ever as good as the PDF file you start with.
- Scanned PDFs are pictures of text with nothing inside to copy. The converter spots this and reads them with OCR instead, which is slower and can misread faint or tiny print.
About the formats
PDF: Fixed-layout document format that looks the same on every device.
Plain text: Raw text with no formatting. Opens in anything.
Questions
- Is it safe to convert PDF to Text here?
- Yes. The conversion runs entirely inside your web browser. Your PDF file is never uploaded to a server, so nobody else can see it.
- Will I lose quality?
- This conversion reads the words out of your PDF file rather than copying its look, so images, colours and styling are left behind. Accuracy depends on how clear the original is: digital files come out exact, while photos and scans can have the odd misread character.
- Can I convert several PDF files at once?
- Yes. Drop as many files as you like. Each one is converted in turn, and you can download them one by one or all together as a ZIP.
- Is it free?
- Yes. There is no sign-up, no watermark and no limit on how many files you convert.
- Does it work on a phone?
- Yes. The converter runs in any modern browser, including Safari on iPhone and Chrome on Android, so you can convert PDF files without installing an app.