How PDF to Text conversion works
PDF files are great for sharing finished documents, but they can make it hard to reuse the text inside. This tool reads the selectable text from each page and turns it into a simple .txt file you can copy, edit and search in any editor.
When to use this tool
Use PDF to Text when you want to copy or reuse content from a PDF without retyping it. It’s especially helpful for quotes, research notes, contracts, reports and e-books.
- Quick copying: pull paragraphs or sections without selecting page by page.
- Editing: move the content into any editor and rewrite it freely.
- Search: turn a long PDF into searchable plain text.
Need to go the other direction? Convert plain text back to a PDF with Text to PDF Converter. If you need an editable document with more structure than TXT, try PDF to Word Converter.
Step-by-step: from PDF to clean text
Extracting text from your PDFs follows a short, repeatable routine:
- Add your PDF files. Drag & drop PDFs onto the box above, or click it to select files from your device.
- Review the list. Each file appears with its name and status so you can see what will be converted.
- Convert to Text. Click Convert to Text. The tool processes each PDF directly in your browser.
- Save your TXT files. Use Save next to each file, or Save all files when everything is ready.
Privacy, limits and how this tool treats your files
FileYoga is built around a simple rule: your files stay with you. This PDF to Text converter follows that rule closely.
Local-only conversion
Conversion runs in your browser. Your PDF files are not uploaded.
No artificial limits
No quotas. The only limits come from your device’s memory and your browser.
No account required
Open the page, convert, download, and you are done.
No hidden copies
When you clear the list or close the tab, the tool stops using your files.
Tips for best results
- Best results come from PDFs exported from Word/Google Docs (these are usually text-based).
- Scanned PDFs and photos may have little or no extractable text because OCR is not included.
- Multi-column layouts can read out of order (left column then right column is not guaranteed).
- If your PDF is huge, convert it alone and close heavy tabs to reduce memory pressure.
- After converting, tidy headings and spacing in your editor (TXT is intentionally simple).
Troubleshooting
- The TXT file is empty or very short: The PDF may be a scan (image-only) or the text may be embedded in a way that isn’t selectable. This tool does not run OCR, so scans usually produce little or no text.
- Text is out of order (columns/sidebars): Some PDFs store text by position. Multi-column pages can extract in an unexpected reading order. Try extracting and then reformatting in your editor.
- Strange symbols or missing characters: Some PDFs use custom font encodings. If characters don’t map cleanly, try exporting a new PDF from the source document or use a different document version.
- Lots of extra line breaks: PDFs often store text in small chunks. You may need to remove extra newlines in your editor after extraction.
- Extraction fails on a specific file: The PDF may be damaged or restricted. Try Repair PDF first, then extract again.
- Browser slows down or crashes: Large PDFs can hit browser memory limits. Convert one file at a time, reduce PDF size, or split the document before extracting.
Frequently asked questions
No. All conversion happens directly in your browser using JavaScript. Your PDF files and the extracted text never leave your device, and the TXT files you download are created locally.
No. This tool focuses on getting editable text back, not on perfect visual matching. Headings, paragraphs and basic structure often extract well, but columns, precise spacing, fonts, and exact layout aren’t reproduced in a plain TXT file.
This browser-only converter does not perform OCR (optical character recognition). If your PDF is just an image of text, there may be little or no text to extract, and the resulting TXT file could be mostly empty.
Some PDFs store text as positioned fragments rather than a true reading order. On multi-column layouts, sidebars, or complex pages, extracted text may come out in an unexpected sequence. The output is still usable, but you may need to rearrange it in your editor.
Images and graphics are not preserved as visuals in TXT output. Simple tables may appear as lines of text, but complex tables will lose their structure. Keep the original PDF as your reference when layout matters.
Some encrypted or permission-restricted PDFs may block text extraction in the browser. If you have access, open the PDF in the original app and export an unlocked copy, then try again.
There is no artificial limit built into this tool. You can add multiple PDFs at once. Extremely large files or big batches may slow your browser down, so if that happens, convert in smaller groups of documents.
Some PDFs use custom font encodings where characters don’t map cleanly back to Unicode text. If characters look wrong, try exporting a fresh PDF from the original source document and extract again.
Use Text to PDF Converter to convert plain text into a simple, printable PDF. If you need an editable document format with richer structure, use PDF to Word Converter instead.