Extract PDF text
Extract the existing text layer with page markers. Scanned pages without a text layer are reported, never guessed.
Process locally
Files stay in this browser session. Closing or clearing releases them.
Choose files
PDF, one at a time
Drop files here, or
Adjust settings
Optional: Page ranges, Mark page numbers
Run
Processes in this browser; cancel at any time
About this tool
Copy the text out of a PDF as plain text, for example to quote from a report, reuse a clause from a contract, search a long manual, or paste the content into a translator or an AI chat.
The tool reads the text layer the PDF already contains, page by page with optional page markers, and saves it as a .txt file. Scanned pages have no text layer and are reported rather than guessed, as OCR is not included. One PDF of up to 100 pages is read in your browser without uploading it.
How to use it
- Choose one PDF file, or drop it on the page.
- To read only some pages, enter “Page ranges” such as 1-3,5. Keep “Mark page numbers” on to label each page in the text.
- Select Run to extract the text.
- Check the text in the preview, then download it as a .txt file named after the PDF.
Formats and limits
- Input
- PDF, one at a time
- Output
- Plain text
- Size limit
- 25 MB
- Page limit
- 100 pages
- Settings
- Page ranges; Mark page numbers
- Privacy
- Runs in this browser by default. A cloud workflow uploads the input only after you authorize it; cloud results expire within 24 hours.
- Price
- Free, no sign-up
Common questions
Why do I get no text from a scanned PDF?
A scanned page is a picture without a text layer, and this tool does not run OCR. Such pages carry a note in the result saying they have no text layer; if none of the selected pages has text, the run stops with an error instead.
Can I extract text from a password-protected PDF?
A PDF that needs a password to open cannot be read. Open it with the password and save an unprotected copy first.
Is the layout kept?
No. The result is plain text: line breaks follow the lines in the PDF, while fonts, images, tables and columns are not kept. Text on multi-column pages comes out in the order it is stored in the file.
What does “Mark page numbers” do?
It puts a line such as “--- Page 3 ---” before the text of each page, so you can see where a passage came from. Turn it off to get one continuous text.
How large a PDF can it handle?
One PDF at a time with up to 100 pages and 25 MB. The extracted text can be up to about one million characters.
Workflows that use this tool
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