PDF Text Extractor
Runs entirely in your browser
Extract the text from a PDF, then copy it or download it as a plain text file. Your PDF is processed entirely in your browser and is never uploaded to our servers.
Drag & drop a PDF here
or
Up to 50MB.
File
This PDF doesn't appear to contain a text layer — it may be a scanned document. This tool doesn't perform OCR (optical character recognition), so no text could be extracted.
What is PDF Text Extractor?
PDF Text Extractor pulls the text content out of a PDF's existing text layer, in reading order, page by page. It's useful for pulling quotes or passages out of a document, repurposing PDF content as plain text, or checking what text a PDF actually contains. It only works with PDFs that already contain real, selectable text — it does not perform OCR on scanned images.
How to use PDF Text Extractor
- Choose a PDF file, or drag and drop it into the tool.
- Text is extracted instantly and shown in the text box.
- Copy the text or download it as a .txt file.
Features
- Extracts text from every page, in reading order.
- Shows a character count for the extracted text.
- Copy to clipboard or download as a text file.
- Clearly flags PDFs with no extractable text layer.
- 100% client-side — your PDF never leaves your browser.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is my PDF uploaded to a server?
No. PDF Text Extractor reads your file entirely in your browser. It is never uploaded to our servers.
Why is the extracted text empty or missing content?
If a PDF page is a scanned image rather than real text, there is no text layer to extract. This tool does not perform OCR (optical character recognition), so scanned pages will not produce text.
Does formatting like tables or columns stay intact?
Text is extracted in reading order per page, but complex layouts like multi-column pages or tables may not preserve their original structure.
Does this work with password-protected PDFs?
Encrypted PDFs may not be readable in the browser. If your file is password-protected, remove the password first.