Extract the text layer of a PDF as a plain .txt file - to copy, reuse or search. Local, no upload.
Running locally on your device ...
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Your files never left your device
No. Everything runs in your browser - your file never leaves your device. How this is verifiable
Sometimes you only need the plain text from a PDF: lift a quote into a document, copy a contract into your editor, index content for a search or archive, or hand text to a read-aloud / screen-reader tool. This tool reads the text layer embedded in the PDF and returns it as a simple .txt file - without fonts, images, colours or layout, just the characters.
The order is reconstructed page by page: pieces of text at the same height form one line, read top to bottom and left to right. You can choose how pages are separated - by a blank line (default), by a classic form feed for text editors and printers, or not at all for one continuous flow of text. That way the output fits your next step, whether further editing, import or full-text search.
Important and honest: this tool only extracts text that is already present as a text layer in the PDF. A scanned PDF, or one made entirely of photos, has no such layer - there the output stays empty and you need the text recognition "PDF OCR" instead, which detects letters from the pixels. Complex layouts with multiple columns, tables or footnotes also cannot always be brought into a perfectly linear text order. For ordinary, "real" PDFs (created by office programs, browsers or typesetting systems) the extraction delivers clean, reusable text. Everything runs locally in the browser via pdf.js; your file does not leave your device.
| Input formats | |
|---|---|
| Output format | TXT |
| Batch processing | No |
| Processing | Locally in your browser (JavaScript) |
| File upload | None |
Limitations: Extracts the existing text layer of a PDF and returns it as a UTF-8 .txt file; lines are reconstructed from the text positions. Scanned or image-only PDFs have no text layer - the output stays empty there, use "PDF OCR" instead. Fonts, images, colours and exact layout (multi-column pages, tables) are lost or only linearly approximated. Open password-protected PDFs first with "Unlock PDF".
Your PDF is probably a scan or made of images and has no text layer. Use "PDF OCR", which recognises text from the pixels, instead.
No. You get plain text in reading order. Fonts, images, columns and tables are not reproduced faithfully.
UTF-8, so umlauts and special characters are preserved correctly.
Selectable: by a blank line (default), a form feed (\f) or not at all for continuous text.
No, text extraction happens entirely locally in the browser.