Extract text from a PDF. Locally, nothing uploaded
Extracting a PDF’s text is useful when you need to quote a report, search a document, or pass its contents to another program. This page uses Mozilla’s pdf.js engine to read each page’s text layer and write it to a plain .txt file. It works well for ordinary digital PDFs. Scanned pages contain images rather than selectable text, so they require OCR, which this tool does not provide. Contracts and reports remain on your device throughout the extraction.
How it works
- Drop a PDF below or click to choose one.
- The text layer of every page is read and concatenated.
- Download a .txt file with the document’s text, pages separated by blank lines.
Frequently asked questions
Does this work on scanned PDFs?
No. A scanned document is a picture of a page, with no text layer to read, so the output would be empty. Extracting text from scans requires OCR (optical character recognition), which this tool does not do. For digitally created PDFs, it works well.
Will the layout and formatting be preserved?
Not exactly. You get the readable text in reading order; columns, tables, and precise spacing are flattened, because plain text cannot represent them. It is ideal for getting the words out, not for reproducing the page’s design.
Is my PDF uploaded to extract the text?
No. pdf.js reads the file locally in your browser. Contracts, statements, and medical records remain on your device, and extraction works with the network disconnected after the page loads.
What renders the text extraction?
pdf.js, the open-source PDF engine Mozilla builds and ships inside Firefox. One of the most widely used and best-tested PDF parsers there is.