How to use the PDF to Text
- Drop a PDF on the box.
- Choose Plain text or Markdown.
- Keep Join lines into paragraphs on to undo the PDF’s line wrapping.
- Copy the text or download it.
Clean text, not a jumble of lines
PDFs store text as positioned fragments, not paragraphs, which is why copying from a PDF viewer often gives broken lines and missing spaces. This extractor rebuilds lines from the positions of the text, joins wrapped lines into paragraphs, repairs words split with a hyphen at the end of a line, and in Markdown mode turns larger text into headings and bullet characters into lists.
Scanned PDFs
A scanned document is a picture of text, with no text inside. Pages like that are reported as empty; run them through PDF to Word (which has OCR) or Image to Text.
Private by design
Most online PDF services upload your document to their servers. This tool processes the file entirely in your browser with open-source libraries (pdf-lib and PDF.js), so contracts, invoices, bank statements and IDs never leave your device. It works offline once the page has loaded, and there are no file-count limits, watermarks or sign-ups.
Comparing two versions of a document? Use Compare PDF. Counting the words afterwards? Paste into the Word Counter.
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Tools that pair well with the PDF to Text
- ID Card Scanner — Photograph or upload the front and back of an ID card, driver’s license, residence permit or bank card, drag the corners to straighten each side, and get both on one A4 or Letter page at real size — ready to print or save as a PDF.
- Passport Scanner — Photograph the photo page of your passport — and, if a form asks, a second page such as the visa or address page — drag the corners to straighten it, and get a clean copy at real size as a PDF, JPG or print.
- Driver’s License Scanner — Photograph the front and back of your driver’s license, drag the corners to straighten each side, and get both on one page at real size — ready to print, email or upload as a PDF or JPG.
- Merge PDF — Combine several PDF files into one document.