Extract text from a PDF
Pull the text layer out; copy or download it.
Files stay on your device. No accounts. Free.
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About this tool
Extracts the embedded text layer from a PDF, read and copy it right on this page, or download the whole thing as a .txt file. Page breaks are kept as blank lines.
One caveat: scanned PDFs are photographs of text with no text layer, so they come back empty, that requires OCR, which would mean either a heavyweight download or a server, and Convertze refuses to add a server.
How it works
- Drop your file(s), they are read locally on your device.
- Set the options you need and run the tool.
- Download the finished PDF, images or text.
Frequently asked questions
Why did my PDF come back with no text?
It is almost certainly a scan. Scanned PDFs are photographs of pages with no embedded text layer, and reading them requires OCR, which this tool deliberately does not do because it would need either a server or a very heavy download.
Does the extracted text keep its formatting?
You get the raw text with page breaks preserved as blank lines. Fonts, columns and layout are not reproduced, which is usually what you want when feeding text to a script or search.
Can I extract text from a confidential PDF safely?
Yes. The document is parsed by pdf.js running inside your browser, the same engine Firefox uses, and nothing is transmitted anywhere.