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PDF to text

Take the words out of a PDF as plain text, and read scanned pages too, on your device. Free, with no account or uploads.

Get the PDF's words as a plain text file, in the order they are read. Scanned pages can be read with OCR.

Drop a PDF here

Any PDF works, scans too. You can also drop a Word file (.docx) to make a PDF, or paste a file with ⌘V or Ctrl+V.

  • PDF
  • DOCX

Stays on your device · up to 300 MB

How it works and help

How it works

  1. 1Add your fileA PDF, or a Word file to make a PDF. It is read in your browser and never uploaded.
  2. 2Say what you want to getA Word file to edit, an Excel table, pictures, plain text, or a PDF from a Word file.
  3. 3Convert and downloadEvery result is opened again and checked before it is offered.
Read the steps and every optionOr follow the steps written under it

A little help along the way

Follow these steps. Every option is explained underneath. Your file is read on your device and never uploaded.

  1. Say what you want to getChoose Word to edit, Excel table, Pictures, Plain text, or PDF from Word. A page opened for one job, such as PDF to JPG, has chosen already.
  2. Add your fileDrop a PDF or a Word file (.docx), choose one, or paste it. A locked PDF asks for its password. Look through it opens the PDF to read before you convert it.
  3. Choose the pagesAll pages is the usual. Choose pages takes numbers and ranges, such as 1-3, 7, 10-.
  4. ConvertPress the big button. A bar shows how far it has got, and Stop ends it. The result is opened again and checked before it is offered: a Word file read back by another program, a workbook's cells read back, every picture decoded, a PDF opened with all its pages.
  5. Read what it becameThe result says what was made in words, such as 12 pages became a Word file with 3 tables and 8 pictures, and what to check: pages that are scans, headers and footers left out, or what OCR read.
  6. DownloadDownload gives the file; many pictures come in one ZIP. Change a setting and the result is made again when you press the button.

Questions people ask

Does it keep the reading order of columns?
It follows the order in which the page is read, column by column, and puts tables in as rows with their cells parted by tabs. Very unusual layouts can still come out in another order.
Can it read scanned pages?
Yes. Turn on Read scanned pages (OCR) under More options and choose the language. Pages that have no text are read by Tesseract on your device. OCR can misread, so check the words.
Are page numbers and headers left out?
Lines that repeat at the top or foot of most pages, and page numbers, are left out, and the result says how many. Turn on Keep headers and footers to keep them.

This page is the PDF converter, opened for this one job; every other tool it has is one press away. Each of its settings is explained on the PDF converter's own page.

Read the step-by-step guide

Guides

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