Convert PDF to text or Markdown

Pull the text out of a PDF as plain text or Markdown, with headings, lists, bold and italic kept in Markdown.

Free to use, with no sign-up. Works on your phone, tablet or computer.

How it works

  1. Choose a PDF.
  2. Pick plain text or Markdown.
  3. Copy the text or download it as a file.

Works on PDFs that contain real text. Scanned pages have no text to read, so use Extract text (OCR) for those. Tables and multi-column pages may come out in the wrong order.

When to use it

  • Copy the text of a PDF into an email, note or document.
  • Get Markdown with headings and lists to paste into notes or a website.
  • Search or process the text of a long report in another program.

Common questions

Plain text or Markdown?

Plain text is just the words. Markdown keeps headings, lists, bold and italic, which is useful for notes and web pages.

Why is my text empty?

This works on PDFs that contain real text. Scanned pages have no text to read, so use Extract text (OCR) for those.

Why is the order of text wrong?

Tables and multi-column pages may come out in the wrong order, because the reading order depends on how the PDF was made.

Is it free, and do I need an account?

It is free to use and there is no sign-up. It works in your browser on your phone, tablet or computer.

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