Convert PDF to Plain Text
Sometimes you just need the words. No formatting, no images, no layout — just the text content in a simple .txt file. Plain text files are universally readable, searchable by any tool, and take up minimal space. Ideal for content analysis, archiving, or feeding into other software.
How to Convert PDF to Plain Text
- 1Load the PDF into the text converter
Drop your PDF. The tool reads the document and extracts text content from each page in reading order. Processing is local.
- 2Choose the page range
Select all pages or a specific range. For large documents, extracting only the pages you need saves time. You can also choose whether to include headers, footers, and page numbers.
- 3Convert to text
Click convert. The tool extracts all text from the selected pages and outputs a .txt file. The text is encoded as UTF-8 and compatible with any text editor or processing tool.
- 4Download the text file
Save the .txt file. Use it for analysis, import into a database, feed into an AI tool, or archive as a lightweight content backup. The text is yours to use in any application.
Convert to text now
Plain text from any PDF. Done in your browser.
PDF to TextFrequently Asked Questions
What's the difference between Extract Text and PDF to Text?
Extract Text gives you the content on screen for quick copying. PDF to Text creates a downloadable .txt file suitable for long-term storage, data processing, or importing into other applications.
Can I convert a scanned PDF to plain text?
Not directly. Run OCR first to create a searchable PDF, then convert the OCR'd version to text. The text output will include OCR recognition errors, especially with unusual fonts or low-quality scans.
Does the text file preserve any formatting?
No. Plain text output contains only the characters. No bold, italic, font sizes, colors, or layout. Paragraph breaks are preserved as newlines. Tables are output as text arranged by reading order, not as structured data.
What's the maximum number of pages for text conversion?
No practical limit. The tool processes each page sequentially. Text extraction is lightweight compared to rendering, so even very long documents (1,000+ pages) convert reliably. The output file size depends on the amount of text content.
Your document stays on your device
Text conversion runs entirely in your browser. The PDF and extracted text never leave your device. The .txt file is created locally and available to download directly.