PDF Text Extractor

The words out of a PDF, ready to paste.

FREE - NOTHING UPLOADS - RUNS ON YOUR DEVICE

Nothing about the file is uploaded

  • Plain textparagraphs kept
  • 1-3, 7page ranges
  • .txtor to the clipboard
  • Scansnamed, not silent
Specification

PDF Text Extractor at a glance

What goes in
One PDF at a time
What comes back
Text, clipboard or .txt
Choosing pages
Whole file or a page range
Paragraphs
Kept, and can be turned off
Scanned pages
Named, never silently blank
Price
Free
Account required
No
Where it runs
On your device
How to

How to use PDF Text Extractor

  1. 1

    Bring in the PDF

    Add the PDF.

  2. 2

    Say how much you want

    Whole file, or a page range.

  3. 3

    Take the text

    Copy it, or save a .txt.

Questions

Frequently asked questions

Nothing came out. What went wrong?

Probably nothing. The PDF is a scan, which means pictures of pages rather than characters. Reading letters off a picture needs character recognition, and that is not done here.

Do paragraphs survive?

By default, yes. Lines are rebuilt from where the words sit, and a gap wider than about one and a half lines ends a paragraph. There is a switch to turn it off.

What happens to tables and columns?

Columns come out one after another, in the order the page stores them, which may not read the way you expect. A table loses its grid and arrives as lines.

Does the document go anywhere?

No. It is opened inside this tab and read there. Neither the file nor the text taken out of it is sent anywhere.

Background

Text, or a Picture of Text

Drop in a PDF and the characters inside it come back as plain text, paragraphs and all. Name a page range if you only want part of it. A scanned file holds pictures, not characters.

  • A scanner writes a picture of each page. On screen it looks like writing; in the file there are no characters at all.
  • You can tell by trying to select a word in a reader. If nothing highlights, there is no text to take.
  • Mixed documents happen: typed pages with a scanned signature sheet. The picture pages are named individually.
  • A page range keeps the output short when you only need one section of a long report.

Full specification

Specification of the PDF Text Extractor tool
What goes inA single PDF. If it is encrypted, unlock it before bringing it here.
What comes backPlain text on the page, ready to copy to the clipboard or save as a .txt file.
Choosing pagesLeave the box empty for everything, or write 1-3, 7, 12- as you would in a print dialog.
ParagraphsLines are rebuilt from where words sit, and a wide gap is read as a paragraph break. It can be turned off.
Scanned pagesA page that is a picture holds no characters. Those pages are named, and an all-picture file says so.
PriceFree
Account requiredNo
Where it runsIn your browser tab. Nothing is sent anywhere.
Next step

Keep going with the same files

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