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Extract text from a PDF

Get the plain text of a PDF, ready to copy, search or edit.

PDF to Text

Extract text from a PDF

Select a file

or drag and drop it here

One PDF file
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About this tool

Copying text from a PDF viewer often breaks lines and mixes columns. This tool reads the text layer page by page, groups words that sit on the same line, and gives you a clean UTF-8 text file. The text is also displayed on the page so you can copy it immediately.

It works with any PDF that contains real text. If your document is a scan or a photo, use the Image to Text (OCR) tool instead.

How to extract text from a PDF

  1. 1

    Add a PDF

    Choose the document.

  2. 2

    Extract

    Press “Extract text”.

  3. 3

    Copy or edit

    The text appears in a box where you can edit and copy it.

  4. 4

    Download

    Save it as a .txt file if needed.

Questions about PDF to Text

Why is no text found?

Scanned PDFs contain images, not text. Run them through the OCR tool.

Is Arabic text supported?

Yes. The file is saved in UTF-8 so Arabic and accented French characters are preserved.

Are page breaks kept?

Yes, each page is separated by a line showing its page number.

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