FlippyFile

PDF to Text

Extract all text from a PDF and download as a plain text file.

Upload a PDF and get a .txt file containing all extracted text. Works best on text-based PDFs, not scanned images.

Extracting text from PDFs is useful for analysis, search indexing, copying content into other documents, or feeding PDF content into AI tools. Our extractor uses pdfjs-dist, the same library that powers Firefox's built-in PDF viewer, for accurate text extraction.

Text-based PDFs (those created by word processors, design tools, or any software that exports digital text) will extract cleanly. Scanned PDFs are images with no embedded text layer — this tool cannot extract text from scans without OCR.

Basic paragraph structure and line breaks are preserved in the output. Complex multi-column layouts, tables, and text boxes may not be reproduced in reading order exactly as they appear visually.

How to use PDF to Text

  1. Step 1: Upload your PDF. It must be a text-based PDF — not a scanned image. If the PDF was created by scanning a physical document, the text extraction will produce little or no output.
  2. Step 2: Click "Convert now" — text is extracted from all pages in reading order.
  3. Step 3: Download your .txt file containing all the extracted text content.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does it work on scanned PDFs?

No. Scanned PDFs are images with no embedded text. This tool extracts text from PDFs that contain actual text layers.

Does it preserve formatting?

Basic paragraph breaks are preserved, but complex formatting like columns and tables will not be reproduced.

Related Tools

  • PDF to Word — Extract text from a PDF and save it as a Word (.docx) document.
  • Text to PDF — Convert a plain text file to a clean, shareable PDF.
  • Compress PDF — Reduce PDF file size while preserving content and structure.
  • Merge PDF Files — Combine multiple PDF files into one document.