PDF to Text
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Pull every bit of text out of a PDF — a report, a contract, an article — and get it back as a plain .txt file you can copy, search, or paste anywhere. This tool reads the actual text layer already embedded in the PDF page by page, in reading order, so you get clean text without the layout, images, or formatting getting in the way.
Everything is processed entirely in your browser using pdf.js — your file never gets uploaded anywhere. This only works on a PDF that has real, selectable text; a scanned document (a photo or scan saved as PDF) has no text layer at all. For those, use Image to Text instead, which reads the picture with OCR.
Also useful: PDF to CSV · Image to text (OCR)
How it works
- 1. Drop your PDF into the box above or click to browse.
- 2. We read the text in your browser using pdf.js — nothing is uploaded.
- 3. Copy the text or download it as a .txt file.
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Frequently asked questions
Does this work with scanned PDFs?
No — this tool needs a PDF with real, selectable text underneath. If your document is a scan or a photo saved as a PDF, it has no text layer to read. Use Image to Text instead: take a screenshot or photo of the page and it will run OCR on it.
Is my PDF uploaded to a server?
No. The PDF is parsed entirely in your browser using pdf.js — no OCR, no server round trip. Files up to 50MB and 200 pages on desktop (25MB / 100 pages on mobile).
Does the .txt file keep the original formatting?
It keeps the reading order of the words on each page, but not columns, tables, fonts, or images — it’s plain text. If you need a table with rows and columns preserved, use PDF to CSV or PDF to Excel instead.
Do I need an account to use this?
No. There is no sign-up, no login, and no email required — every tool on PDF Hater is completely free. Open the page, drop your file, download the result. That’s the whole flow.