PDF to TXT
Change PDF to TXT and keep the quality you need. Free for up to 10 files a day, no sign-up.
Your files
Drop your .pdf files here
or
You can add several files and convert them together.
How to convert PDF to TXT
Extract the plain text from a PDF to copy it into another app, search it, or feed it to a script.
- Drop your PDF file into the box above, or add it from a link.
- TXT is already selected. Use the settings button next to it to change size, quality or other options.
- Select Convert, then download your TXT file.
To do this from your own code, call the FileForge API with "output_format": "txt".
Good to know
- Only real text is extracted. Scanned PDFs contain images, so they produce little or no text.
- Columns and tables come out as plain lines, so some reformatting may be needed.
About the formats
PDF is the standard for sharing documents that must look the same everywhere. Layout, fonts and images are fixed, which is great for reading and printing but makes PDFs hard to edit.
.txt
TXT is plain text with no formatting at all. Any device can open it, and it's ideal for copying text into other apps.
Questions
Why is my TXT file empty?
The PDF is probably a scan. Its pages are pictures, so there's no text to extract without OCR.
Are my documents private?
Your files are uploaded over HTTPS to a private link only you have. Originals and results are deleted automatically after 24 hours, or straight away when you remove them.