How to use PDF to Text
- Add one PDF in the PDF file field. The limit for one run is 100 pages.
- Leave Pages to read empty for the whole document, or type a range such as 1-5, 9.
- Choose Plain text or Keep approximate positions, and leave the page markers on to see where each block starts.
- Select Extract the text and download the .txt file.
Example: PDF to Text
Extract the text layer from a two-page PDF.
Options
- Pages to read
- An empty field reads every page. The range uses physical page numbers, so 1-5, 9 reads those six pages and skips the rest.
- Text layout
- Plain text joins runs that share a baseline, which suits one column. Keep approximate positions pads each run into a fixed-width column.
- Insert page markers
- Adds a --- Page N --- line before each page. Turn it off for text you want to paste straight into another document.
Supported inputs and limits
Where your input is processed
This tool processes your input in this browser. Your text and files are not uploaded to UseFreeTools. Check this tool's limits for anything it may save on your device.
Two kinds of PDF, and only one has readable text
A digital PDF stores text characters a program can select and search. A scan stores a picture of a page, so the words exist only as pixels and there is nothing here to read. Mixed files are common: a cover typed in Word and a signed page photographed can sit in the same PDF, and only the typed page produces text. Layout mode is a separate approximation: it sorts runs into 12 column bands so a table keeps some shape, but multi-column pages can still land in an unexpected order.
Questions about PDF to Text
Why did my scanned PDF export empty?
A scan stores a picture of the page, not text characters, so there is no text layer to read. The result names those pages, and an OCR tool is the way to read them.
Why is the reading order wrong on a two-column page?
Plain text groups runs by their vertical position, so two columns can interleave. Try Keep approximate positions and check the result line by line.
What does the character count include?
It counts extracted text only. Page markers and the (no text found on this page) placeholder are not counted.