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Extract Text

Extract raw text streams and copy cleanly formatted content from any PDF.

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Step-by-Step Guide

How to use Extract Text

1

Upload your PDF

1/5

Select the PDF whose text you want to extract.

2

Choose output format

2/5

Select plain text (.txt) or Markdown (.md) output.

3

Set page range

3/5

Extract text from all pages or a specific range.

4

Extract

4/5

Click "Extract Text". Text is read from the PDF's embedded text layer.

5

Download

5/5

Save the extracted text file.

Best Practices

Pro Tips

Tip 1

For scanned PDFs without a text layer, use OCR PDF first to add extractable text.

Tip 2

Markdown output attempts to detect headings and lists but may require manual cleanup for complex layouts.

Tip 3

Use the Chat with PDF tool for AI-powered text interaction rather than manual extraction.

Common Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

Some PDFs use custom or encoded fonts where the text layer does not correspond to readable characters. OCR may produce better results for such documents.

No — scanned PDFs are images with no text layer. Use OCR PDF to add a text layer first.

Plain text output preserves line breaks and paragraph spacing. Complex multi-column layouts, tables, and decorative elements are linearised into a single text flow.