PDF to Text Extractor
Works best with text-based PDFs (reports, articles, forms, Word exports). Scanned PDFs contain images of text and cannot be extracted with this tool. If your PDF looks like a photograph, text extraction will not work.
Drop your PDF here to extract text
or click to browse
How to Extract Text from a PDF
1
Drop your PDF
Drag your text-based PDF onto the box above, or click to browse.
2
Extract text
Choose all pages or a range, then click Extract Text. Progress shows page by page.
3
Copy or download
Copy the text to your clipboard or download it as a plain .txt file.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I extract text from a PDF?
Drop your PDF onto the tool, then click Extract Text. The tool reads each page and displays all text in a scrollable box you can copy or download as a .txt file.
Why is the extracted text garbled?
Garbled text usually means the PDF uses custom embedded fonts or non-standard encoding. This is common in PDFs exported from design software like InDesign or Illustrator. Text-based PDFs from Word or standard print-to-PDF drivers work best.
Can I extract text from a scanned PDF?
No. Scanned PDFs contain images of text, not actual text data. OCR (optical character recognition) software is needed to convert them. This tool works only with text-based PDFs where the text was created digitally.
How do I copy text from a PDF that won't let me select text?
Drop the PDF into this tool. It reads the raw text data directly from the file, bypassing copy restrictions that PDF viewers enforce. If no text appears, the PDF is likely a scanned image.
What is the difference between a text PDF and a scanned PDF?
A text PDF contains actual character data created by software like Word, Google Docs, or a print-to-PDF driver. A scanned PDF is a photograph of a document stored as an image inside the PDF. Text PDFs extract perfectly. Scanned PDFs require OCR software.