How to extract text from a PDF
Drop a PDF onto the page. Click Extract text. The tool reads every page and produces plain text you can copy or download. Use the search box to find specific words and see them highlighted in the results.
Everything happens in your browser. Your PDF never leaves your device.
Extraction modes
| Mode | What it does |
|---|---|
| Preserve line breaks | Each line in the PDF becomes a line in the output. Closest to the original layout. |
| Merge into paragraphs | Lines that belong to the same paragraph are merged into one. Cleaner for prose. |
| Raw | Keeps all original spacing, multiple spaces and line breaks intact. |
When extraction fails
If the extracted text is empty or full of garbage, the PDF is likely one of:
- Scanned document — the pages are images, not text. You need OCR (Optical Character Recognition).
- Custom font encoding — some PDFs use non-standard character mappings. Text may extract as symbols.
- Password-protected — locked PDFs can't be read without the password.
Common uses
- Copy quotes — pull a citation or passage from a paper or report
- Search inside PDFs — find where a term appears across a long document
- Translate — extract text, then paste into a translator
- Edit content — move PDF text into a Word document or note app
- Accessibility — read text aloud via screen reader
- Analysis — feed PDF text into a word counter or keyword tool
Common questions
Can I copy text from a scanned PDF?
Only if the PDF contains a text layer. Scanned PDFs are usually images, so they contain no extractable text. You would need OCR to read them.
Is my PDF uploaded?
No. Everything happens in your browser. Your files never leave your device.
Can I download the extracted text?
Yes. Click Download as .txt to save all extracted text to a plain text file.
Does it preserve formatting?
It preserves line breaks and text order, but not fonts, bold, italics, or tables. PDFs store layout as drawing instructions, not as styled text.
Can I extract just one page?
Yes. Choose "Custom range" under Pages and enter the page number, e.g. 5 or 1-3.
How accurate is the extraction?
Very accurate for text-based PDFs. The output matches what a PDF reader sees when you select and copy text.
What about PDFs with multiple columns?
Text is extracted in reading order as the PDF stores it. For two-column layouts, the output may interleave — use the "Raw" mode or copy page by page.
Does it work on password-protected PDFs?
Not if the PDF requires a password to open. If the password is only for editing, extraction usually works.