Extract text from a PDF
Every word of a PDF as a plain text file, pulled out on your device.
- Nothing is uploaded
- Works offline after first visit
- Open source
- No watermark · limit is your device’s memory; phones hold less
Extract the text of a PDF into a plain .txt file in your browser, paragraphs rebuilt, reading order kept. It is free, needs no account and adds no watermark, and your files are not uploaded: everything runs in your browser on your device. The size limit is your device’s memory, and phones hold less; give the page a short while after one visit to save itself for offline use, and then it works offline.
Done
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Open the network tab. Your files never appear in it.
Add files and run the tool to see every request this tab makes.
Your files are processed on this device and never sent to a server. Reload the page to clear everything from memory.
Copying text out of a PDF by hand gives you one line per paragraph, broken hyphens and page headers in the middle of sentences. This page reads the text layer with pdf.js inside your browser, groups the runs back into lines and paragraphs, mends words split across lines, and saves a clean .txt file. A preview appears before you download.
Plain text is the right output when the words are going into another program: a note-taking app, a script, a search index, a language model, a translation tool. If you want an editable document with headings, switch the format to Word.
How it works
- Drop a PDF, or tap to pick one. The page count appears next to the format.
- Leave plain text selected, or switch to Word. Tick page breaks if you want a form feed between pages.
- Convert. The preview shows the start of the text and the .txt file downloads.
In your browser, not on a server
pdf.js, the PDF engine inside Firefox, reads every positioned text run on each page. Stayput groups the runs into lines by baseline, joins lines into paragraphs from their spacing and font size, and writes the result as a .docx (a zip of standard Office XML built with fflate) or a .txt file, all in memory in your tab.
Compared with upload-based tools: Upload-based PDF to Word converters are the ones most likely to ask for your email address before the download, and the PDFs people convert are contracts, statements and CVs. Here the document is read on your device and the Word file never exists anywhere else.
Verify it yourself. Give the page a short while after one visit to save itself for offline use, then turn off Wi-Fi or switch to airplane mode and run the tool again. Or open your browser's developer tools (F12, or Cmd-Option-I on a Mac), pick the Network tab, and watch it while you convert. The panel above does the same count for you.
Questions
Does it work on scanned PDFs?
No. A scan is a picture of text with no text layer, so there is nothing to extract without OCR. The tool says so when it finds no text.
Does it keep reading order for two-column pages?
Lines are ordered top to bottom and left to right within a line. Simple two-column layouts usually come out column by column; complex ones can interleave. Check the preview.
Can I extract text from many PDFs at once?
One file at a time for now. Batch extraction is on the roadmap.
Is the file uploaded anywhere?
No. There is no server in this process. The page is a static file and the work is done by code running inside your browser tab. Give the page a short while after one visit to save itself for offline use; then you can turn off Wi-Fi and it still works.
More PDF tools
PDF to Word
The text of a PDF as an editable Word document, with paragraphs and headings, extracted on your device.
Image to PDF
Turn photos, scans and screenshots into a single PDF. One image per page, in the order you choose.
PDF to Image
Export every page, or just some, as JPG or PNG at the resolution you need. Rendered on your device.
Reorder & Delete Pages
See every page as a thumbnail, drag them into the order you want, remove the extras. Saved on your device.
Other conversions
Guides
- How to convert a PDF to WordWord and Google Docs can both open a PDF directly. Here is how, and what to use when the result comes out messy.
- A free Smallpdf alternative with no daily limitSmallpdf's free plan has daily limits. Here is what that means, and a way around it where your files are never uploaded.
- A free Sejda alternative with no hourly task limit and no uploadSejda's free web tools stop you after 3 tasks an hour, and the PDF goes to its servers. Here is what changes when the file never leaves your device.
- A free PDF Candy alternative that doesn't upload your filesPDF Candy's free plan works, with page, hourly and batch limits, and your file goes to its servers first. Here is what changes when it never leaves your device.
- Is Smallpdf safe?Smallpdf is a reputable Swiss company with published retention rules. What changes the answer for you is which of its storage rules applies to your file.