PDF to Text Converter
Clean text or Markdown from any PDF. Keeps paragraphs and tables, reads scanned pages, free with no sign-up.
Up to 20 MB
Sign in to convert several PDFs at once and read up to 20 scanned pages per file.
Options: pages, scanned PDFs, password
Something look wrong, or missing a feature? — we read every message.
Want this as an API?
How to convert a PDF to text
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1
Choose your PDF
Upload it from your computer or phone, or paste a link to a PDF online.
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2
Pick Text or Markdown
Plain text for notes and documents, Markdown to keep headings and tables.
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3
Copy or download
Copy it, save a .txt or .md file, or paste it into ChatGPT or Claude.
More than a plain text dump
Paragraphs, headings and tables
Lines are joined back into paragraphs, headings are marked, and tables come out as real tables instead of jumbled words.
Scanned PDFs with OCR
Pages that are only a picture are read with OCR, in 19 languages including Spanish, French, German, Chinese and Japanese.
Page ranges and passwords
Convert just the pages you need, and open password-protected PDFs when you have the password.
Private by default
Your PDF is deleted as soon as the text is out. Nothing is stored or shared.
PDF to text FAQ
Is this PDF to text converter free? +
Yes. Convert PDFs for free without an account. Free use is rate limited to keep it fast for everyone; sign in for more conversions and a higher OCR page limit.
Does it keep paragraphs, headings and tables? +
Yes. Paragraphs stay separate, and in Markdown mode headings become # headings and ruled tables become Markdown tables, ready to paste into ChatGPT, Claude, Notion or a docs site.
Can it read scanned PDFs? +
Yes. Pages that are only an image (a scan or a photo) are read with OCR. Pick the document's language under Options for the best results.
Can I convert a password-protected PDF? +
Yes, if you know the password. Enter it when asked; it is used only to open the file and is never stored.
Can I convert only some pages? +
Yes. Under Options, enter pages like "1-3, 7" or "10-" for page 10 to the end.
Is my PDF kept or shared? +
No. Your file is deleted as soon as the text is extracted. We don't keep a copy or share it.
What's the largest PDF I can convert? +
Files up to 20 MB and up to 500 pages per conversion.
Have a photo or screenshot? Use Image to Text. Need text from a web page instead? Use the URL to Text converter, or get a YouTube transcript.