FastHan / PDF Tools / Extract Text from PDF Free
PDF TO TEXT
Extract Text from PDF Free
Pull the plain text out of a PDF — download it as a .txt file. Drop up to 20 PDFs at once.
100% private — processed in your browser
Your files are processed locally in your browser with JavaScript. They are never uploaded to a server. You can verify this yourself: open your browser DevTools, go to the Network tab, and watch — no file data leaves your device.
How to extract text from a PDF
Sometimes you do not need the PDF — you need the words inside it: a quote for an article, the text of a contract to search through, or the contents of a report to paste into a spreadsheet. This tool reads the text layer of every page of your PDF and saves it as one plain .txt file you can open anywhere.
Drop a PDF and press Extract Text. Each page is read in order and the text is joined into a single file, with a page marker between pages so you can still tell where each part came from. The result opens in any text editor, and you can search it, copy from it, or paste it wherever you need the words.
Two honest limits. First, this is text only: the layout is gone — no columns, no tables, no bold or italics, no images. If you need the document to look the same, keep the PDF. Second, a scanned PDF has no text layer at all: it is a photo of a page, not text, so there is nothing to extract. This tool will tell you so plainly instead of handing you an empty file — reading a scan needs OCR, which this tool does not do.
Everything runs in your browser, so the document never leaves your device. There is no daily limit.
How to use this tool
- 1Drop PDF files onto the page (up to 20 at once).
- 2Press Extract Text.
- 3Preview the text, then download the .txt file.
Frequently asked questions
Will the layout be kept?
No — this is plain text only. Columns, tables, bold, italics and images are not kept. The text comes out in reading order, one page after another, with a page marker between pages.
My PDF is a scan. Can I still get the text?
No. A scanned PDF is a photo of a page with no text layer, so there is nothing to extract. This tool will say so plainly instead of giving you an empty file. Reading a scan needs OCR.
Is the text in the right order?
Usually yes — pages are read in order, and the text on each page comes out in reading order. On pages with complex multi-column layouts the order can be mixed up, so check the result for important documents.
What can I do with the .txt file?
Anything: open it in any text editor, search it, copy a quote, or paste it into a document or spreadsheet. It is plain UTF-8 text, so it works everywhere.
Are my files uploaded anywhere?
No. Extraction happens entirely in your browser. Your PDF never leaves your device.