Extract selectable PDF text into a plain text document
Turn a text-based PDF into a plain text file for notes, search or editing in a text editor. The export follows the PDF’s internal text order and separates pages with a form-feed character. Images, styling and tables are not preserved. Scanned pages without an existing text layer need OCR, which this tool does not provide.
Input: PDF. Up to one 100 MB file and 200 selected pages per export. Large pages render at a maximum of 16 megapixels.
How to use the pdf to text
Open your file
Open a PDF containing selectable text.
Choose your settings
Choose all pages or enter a selection such as 2-5,8.
Save your result
Download the TXT file and review reading order, spacing and any multi-column passages.
- UTF-8 TXT export
- Selectable text extraction
- Page ranges
- Local processing
When this tool is useful
Collect research notes
Save the text from relevant pages into a file you can search or annotate. Check references and reading order against the original document.
Move wording to a text editor
Extract copy without visual formatting. Fonts, page decoration and embedded images are omitted from the plain text output.
Read selected sections
Limit extraction to the pages you need. Page separators help distinguish source pages when reviewing the downloaded text.
Choose the right settings for your file
| Option | Use it for | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Page selection | Choosing sections to extract | Use individual pages and ranges such as 1,4-6. Up to 200 pages per export. |
| UTF-8 output | Keeping international characters | Characters depend on the source PDF having a valid text mapping. Inspect unusual symbols after export. |
| TXT download | Editing in a plain text application | The output uses text order from the PDF. Columns and tables may need manual cleanup. |
Frequently asked questions
Practical answers about files, output and what this tool can do.
Can it recognize words in a scan?
No. A scanned page is an image unless it already has an OCR text layer. The tool reports an error when no selectable text is available.
Will the text have the same layout?
No. Plain text has no fonts, images or table layout. Check the reading order when extracting from columns or complex documents.
Why are some symbols incorrect?
Some PDFs do not map their font glyphs to Unicode correctly. Compare the extracted text with the original page.
Are images or signatures included?
No. This export only contains selectable text. Keep the source PDF if you need its visual content or signatures.
Your files stay on your device
These tools process your files in your browser without uploading them to a file-processing server. You do not need an account or an OpenAI service. Keep your original file and review the download before sharing it. Read our privacy policy for information about the website's standard analytics.