PDF to Text
Extract selectable text from a PDF, with reading-order-aware, column-aware extraction.
Processed entirely in your browser. Your file is never uploaded to a server.
- Smart flow mode detects column gutters and reads column 1 fully, then column 2 — not interleaved by vertical position, which garbles multi-column academic papers, newsletters and reports.
- Wrapped lines are rejoined into real paragraphs automatically, rather than one broken line per line of the original layout.
- Gets the full text out in one go — faster than selecting and copying page by page.
- Output as plain text you can search, edit or feed into another tool.
- Runs in your browser; the file is never uploaded.
Why this is private
- Processed entirely in your browser. Your file is never uploaded to a server.
- Open your browser's DevTools → Network tab while using this tool — you won't see a request carrying your input, because it never leaves your device.
- Nothing you enter is uploaded to a server or shared with us — the processing happens entirely on your device.
Overview
Extracts the selectable text layer from a PDF. "Smart flow" mode (the default) detects multi-column layouts and reads each column fully before moving to the next, rejoining wrapped lines into paragraphs — instead of the raw storage order, which is rarely true reading order for anything beyond a simple single-column page. "Raw order" mode is available for the original, unprocessed item order. Scanned PDFs made of images only (with no text layer) will produce no output, since this doesn't perform OCR — use OCR PDF first for those.
How to use it
- 1Upload a PDF.
- 2Extracted text appears in the output panel — switch to "Raw order" if you specifically want the unprocessed item order instead.
- 3Copy or download as .txt.
Tips
- If a scanned document produces no text, it's an image-only PDF — run it through OCR PDF first to add a real text layer, then extract the text here.
Frequently asked questions
What people use it for
Extract text from a two-column paper or newsletterSmart flow mode reads each column in full before the next, instead of jumbling both columns together by line position.
Copy text from a PDF that blocks selectionExtract the whole text layer even when the viewer makes copying awkward.
Get a document into a word processorPull the text out as real paragraphs to paste and reformat elsewhere.
Feed a PDF's content to another toolExtract text to run through a word counter, translator or summariser.
Related guides
- How to make a PDF from any fileThe quickest route from images, documents or web pages to a PDF — and which conversions genuinely need desktop software.
- How to convert images to PDF (JPG, PNG, phone photos)Turn one or several JPG or PNG images into a single PDF, in the right page order — what the tool does, the steps, and the common snags.
- How to merge PDF files into oneCombine two or more PDFs into a single file, in the order you choose — the steps, what merging does to quality and size, and how to handle pages and images.
- How to compress a PDF to under 1 MBA 1 MB upload limit is common on application portals. Here's what's realistic, how to get there, and when 1 MB simply isn't possible without losing the text.
Related tools
All pdf toolsPDF to MarkdownConvert a PDF's text, tables and links into clean Markdown.Compare PDFSee what text or visual layout changed between two PDF versions.OCR PDFAdd a searchable text layer to a scanned PDF, in your browser — Hindi included.Word CounterCount words, characters, sentences and reading time instantly, with a readability score and writing goal tracking.
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PDF to Text