PDF to Text Converter
Add a PDF and get its text back to copy or save as a text file. The PDF is read in your browser and is not uploaded.
Drop PDF files here
or paste from your clipboard
Nothing is uploaded. Files stay on your device. Up to 200 MB each.
- No upload Files stay on your device
- No account No signup, no watermark
- Free No usage limits
How to use this converter
- Add your PDF files. Each one is read page by page in your browser.
- Press Extract text and check the extracted text in the box below each file.
- Copy the text or download it as a TXT file.
Why extract text from a PDF
Copying text out of a PDF page by page is slow, and some viewers copy it with broken lines. Extracting the text of the whole document at once gives you plain text you can paste into an email, an editor or a spreadsheet.
Typical situations
- Pasting the contents of a PDF into an email, a document or a spreadsheet
- Searching a long PDF with a tool that only reads plain text
- Quoting a passage from a report without retyping it
What to watch for
This reads the text that is stored in the PDF, so it only works for PDFs that contain real text. A scanned PDF is a set of pictures and gives no text here: use Image to text (OCR) for that. Layout such as columns, tables and fonts is not kept, only the words in reading order, and line breaks follow the PDF. Password protected PDFs cannot be opened, and a file can have at most 500 pages.
Tips for better results
- If the text is full of strange characters, the PDF may use a custom font, and OCR on a picture of the page can read it better.
- For a scanned document go straight to Image to text instead of this tool.
- Proofread numbers and names after you paste the text elsewhere.
Other ways to do it without Convert In Place
Copy text from a PDF in your browser
Open the PDF in a browser tab, press Ctrl and A (Command and A on a Mac) to select all, copy it and paste it into an editor.
Frequently asked questions
Why did I get no text from my PDF?
The PDF is probably a scan, which stores pictures of pages instead of text. Use Image to text (OCR), which also accepts scanned PDFs and recognizes the words in the pictures.
Can I convert a PDF to text online for free without signing up?
Yes. The text is extracted online in your browser, it is free, and there is no account or signup.
Can I extract text from a scanned PDF?
Not with this tool. Scans contain pictures, so use Image to text, which reads scanned PDFs with OCR.
Does it keep tables and columns?
No. You get the words in reading order as plain text, so tables and columns are not kept.
Is the PDF uploaded to extract the text?
No. The text is read in your browser and the file is not sent anywhere.
Are my files uploaded to a server?
No. The conversion runs in your browser using your own device, so the files are not sent to Convert In Place or anyone else. See how it works for a way to check this yourself.
Is there a limit on file size or number of files?
You can use it as often as you like. One batch holds up to 200 files, and each file can be up to 200 MB. Large files and long batches depend on the memory of your device, and phones handle less than computers.
Related converters
- Image to Text Converter (OCR)Add a photo, screenshot or scanned PDF and get the words back as text you can copy.
- PDF to JPG ConverterOpen a PDF to turn each page into a JPG image.
- Split PDFAdd a PDF and either save every page as its own file or extract the pages you choose into a new PDF.
- Compress PDFAdd a PDF, choose how small it should be and download a lighter copy.
Guides
Last reviewed October 2026. Conversion uses open source libraries running in your browser, listed on the how it works page. Convert In Place is not affiliated with Apple, Google, Adobe or any format owner.