Convert PDF to text, free, without uploading it
All the text of a PDF as a plain .txt file, in reading order, line by line and page by page, in UTF-8 so every language comes through. Scanned pages are named so you know to run OCR first. Nothing is uploaded.
Drop a PDF to turn into text
PDF · any size · many at once
✓ no upload✓ UTF-8✓ no limit✓ works offline
How the text is taken out
- Drop the PDF. It opens in a worker in your tab.
- Pick what goes between pages. An empty line, a line saying the page number, or a page-break character.
- Download the .txt. The engine Chrome uses to show PDFs reads the text in reading order, with its line breaks, and writes it as UTF-8.
What it does
- Reads the text the way a PDF reader's copy and search see it.
- Keeps line breaks and the order of the pages.
- Writes UTF-8, so accents, Cyrillic, Greek and Asian scripts come through.
What it does not do
- It does not read scanned pages, which are pictures: run OCR PDF first.
- It does not keep layout, columns side by side or tables as tables; for structure, use PDF to Markdown.
Questions
Why is my text file empty?
The PDF is probably a scan: its pages are pictures with no text in them. Make it searchable with OCR PDF, then convert it again.
Will special characters come through?
Yes. The file is UTF-8, which every editor opens, with every accent and script.
Can I keep headings and lists?
Use PDF to Markdown: it keeps headings, paragraphs and lists as Markdown.
Does my file leave my computer?
No. Everything runs in your browser tab. Nothing is uploaded.