A clean start for your text
PDF to Text Converter
Convert a PDF to text in your browser. Review the extracted words, edit them here, then copy them or download a .txt file.
PDF document
Password-protected PDF?
Used only in this browser for this conversion.
Read locally. Your PDF is not uploaded.
English OCR downloads recognition resources from jsDelivr when requested.
Extracted text
Your words, with room to work.
Extracted text appears here. Review it, make corrections and take just the words you need.
Edit text · Copy · Download TXTHow to convert a PDF to text
A practical guide, from the first click to a result you can use.
- Choose the PDF you want to read.
Use Choose PDF or drag one file into the upload zone. Check the 30 MB and 200-page limits. For a locked file, open the password option and enter a password you are authorized to use.
- Extract the text, then check the result.
Select Extract text. Pages are read in sequence; progress shows the current operation. If no selectable text is found, try Run English OCR for a clear printed-English scan of up to 20 pages.
- Edit, copy or download your text file.
Check reading order, spelling and line breaks in the editable result. Copy puts the result on your clipboard; Download .txt saves a UTF-8 text file with your PDF’s filename. Remove selected PDF clears the workspace.
Before copying text from a PDF, compare the result with the original. A quick check of headings, columns and numbers is especially useful when you plan to quote or reuse the content.
Create a paginated PDF from plain text with Text to PDFSelectable text or a scan?
Open the original file in a PDF reader and try selecting individual words. A selectable-text PDF stores characters that the extractor can read. A scanned PDF stores pictures of the page; converting an image PDF to text needs optical character recognition (OCR).
Mixed documents can contain both. A successful standard extraction does not guarantee every image-based page was read. Check the page count and original document; the separate OCR action replaces the current result rather than merging with it.
Get better English OCR results
English OCR supports clear printed text on up to 20 pages. Straighten rotated pages, use a sharp scan and improve contrast where possible. Tables, columns, handwriting and low-resolution images may still need manual correction.
Tesseract’s script and worker are served with the website. When OCR is needed, its recognition engine and English language data download from jsDelivr. Your PDF and page images stay in your browser. A connection or browser restriction can prevent OCR from starting; selectable-text extraction remains available.
- Check names, dates, totals and characters such as I/l/1 and O/0 against the original.
- If initialization stalls, Cancel conversion, restore connectivity and retry. There is no automatic timeout for valid OCR work.
- Other OCR languages are not implemented. Do not rely on English recognition for a non-English scan.
What survives a PDF to text conversion
The extractor reconstructs words, reading order, line breaks and paragraph gaps from positioned text. It creates plain text, not a replica of the page. Fonts, colors, images and rich styling are not retained; complex columns and tables may be reordered.
This workspace edits the extracted text only. It does not change text inside the original PDF, redact content or export Word files. For a new PDF made from the cleaned text, use Text to PDF.
Limits and troubleshooting
Input: 30 MB and 200 pages. Editable output: 2,000,000 characters. English OCR: 20 pages. A limit error means you should split the document in another trusted tool or choose a smaller file; PDFTextFlow does not silently truncate extraction.
- Password required: enter the known password in Password-protected PDF? and retry. Unsupported encryption may require saving an authorized unencrypted copy in a trusted PDF reader.
- Invalid or damaged PDF: download a fresh copy or re-save it in a PDF reader. Renaming another file to .pdf does not make it a PDF.
- Unexpected word order: compare tables and columns with the source and edit the result before copying.
- Copy unavailable: select text in the editor and use your keyboard or device copy action. TXT download is another way to keep it.
Your file stays on your device
Parsing, text reconstruction and OCR recognition run in this browser. The original PDF is not uploaded in this conversion workflow. The website still loads scripts and assets, and optional OCR downloads recognition resources externally.
Save your result before closing or navigating away. PDFTextFlow does not provide cloud storage or a conversion history. During processing, file replacement is locked; cancel the operation to retry or choose another file.
Good to know
Answers for your next conversion.
How do I convert a PDF to text?
Choose a PDF or drop it into the workspace, then select Extract text. Review the result in the editor and make any corrections. Use Copy to put it on your clipboard or Download .txt to save a text file.
How do I copy text from a PDF?
After extraction, select Copy above the result. You can also select text in the editor and copy it with your keyboard if clipboard access is unavailable. If extraction finds no text, the PDF may contain page images and need OCR.
Can I convert an image-only or scanned PDF to text?
Yes, for clear printed English, use Run English OCR after extraction finds no selectable text. OCR supports up to 20 pages. On first use, your browser downloads Tesseract’s recognition engine and English language data from jsDelivr; the PDF stays on your device. OCR can miss low-quality, skewed, handwritten, or non-English text.
Is this PDF to text converter free, and do I need to sign up?
The converter is free to use and does not require an account. The PDF is processed in your browser and is not uploaded to PDFTextFlow. Optional OCR downloads its recognition resources from jsDelivr.
Which PDFs work, and what are the limits?
Selectable-text PDFs give the best extraction. Files can be up to 30 MB and 200 pages; OCR is limited to 20 pages. If you know a PDF’s password, enter it in the password option. Reading order for complex tables or columns may need manual cleanup.
Does a PDF to text file keep the original formatting?
The TXT result contains words and reconstructed line and paragraph breaks. It does not retain fonts, colors, images, page styling or an exact table layout. Edit the result before reusing text from columns, headers or footnotes.
How do I extract text from a password-protected PDF?
Open Password-protected PDF? and enter the password you are authorized to use. Retry Extract text after a missing or incorrect password error. PDFTextFlow does not remove or bypass encryption; the password is used only in your browser.
Why are some scanned words wrong or missing?
Try an upright, higher-resolution scan with clear contrast. Review similar characters such as O and 0, names and numbers. English OCR is not reliable for handwriting or other languages. If resources cannot load, restore your connection and retry; cancel if initialization stalls.