PDF tool
Extract PDF Text
Get the words inside a PDF as plain text, page by page. Scanned pages have no text layer, and this tool says so instead of guessing.
Add files
Drop PDF files here, or choose files. Everything stays on this device.
Waiting for files
Accepted input
- One PDF file
Limits
- Up to 50 MB per PDF and 100 MB in total.
- Up to 200 pages per document.
- Password protected PDFs are refused with a clear message.
- Only the text layer is read. Scanned pages are not run through OCR.
- Reading order follows the PDF and can differ from the visual order on multi-column pages.
Local processing
- Files are read in your browser and are never uploaded to a server.
- Nothing is stored after you close or reload the page.
How to use Extract PDF Text
- Add the PDF file.
- Press Extract text.
- Download the TXT file, or copy the text shown under the result.
What it does
- Reports the text of every page separately.
- Names the pages that hold no text layer so you know which pages were scans.
- Handles Unicode text, including accented and non-Latin characters.
Limits and things to know
- No OCR: a scanned document yields pages with no text.
- Text inside vector artwork or as part of an image is not extracted.
- Multi-column layouts may come out in an order that does not match the page.
Example
Copying an invoice number and total
Add the invoice PDF and extract. Page 1 contains the stored text, so the invoice number and total are copied exactly. If the invoice is a scan, the page is listed as having no text.
Frequently asked questions
Why does one page come back empty?
That page is most likely a scan, so the words are part of a picture rather than stored text. This tool does not run OCR, so it reports the page instead of inventing words.
Will the text keep its formatting?
You get plain text with line breaks where the PDF stored them. Fonts, colours and columns are not reproduced.
Can I get a Word document instead?
Not from this tool. Download the TXT file and paste it where you need it.
Runs entirely in your browser on ap98.com. Files are never uploaded.