PDF to TXT
Extract text from a PDF into a plain UTF-8 text file — no images, no extra formatting. No registration required.
Drag a PDF here or select a file to extract its text to TXT.
Online PDF to TXT Converter
Need just the text from a PDF, without images, fonts or layout? Upload the file and our service saves its content as a plain TXT file in UTF-8, the encoding that handles any alphabet correctly. The page layout is approximated with spaces and line breaks, while images, fonts and styling are dropped. The result is easy to paste into ChatGPT or another AI tool, load into a search index or knowledge base, process with a script, or simply copy from. Text is taken from the PDF text layer: scans do not have one and need OCR in our PDF Reader.
When to Convert PDF to TXT
- Feeding AI tools — give ChatGPT, Claude or another LLM the document text without clutter.
- Copying text — grab all the text at once when copying from a PDF viewer breaks lines.
- Search and indexing — load the text into a search engine, knowledge base or CRM.
- Scripting and analysis — process document content with tools that only understand plain text.
Benefits of Our PDF to TXT Converter
- UTF-8 output — any alphabet and special characters display correctly.
- Tiny file size — TXT is much smaller than PDF because it holds only text.
- Opens everywhere — Notepad, TextEdit, any code editor and any phone.
- Free, no sign-up — no accounts, subscriptions or document limits.
- Privacy — uploaded and converted files are deleted within 48 hours.
How to Extract Text from PDF to TXT
- Upload a PDF to the upload area on the page.
- Click Convert to TXT — processing runs in the background.
- Download the finished TXT file from the link when the task completes.
Frequently Asked Questions
- How do I convert PDF to TXT online?
- Upload a PDF, click Convert to TXT and download the text file from the link after background processing. No registration needed.
- Is it free?
- Yes. The PDF to TXT converter is free and works without registration.
- Is formatting preserved?
- No, TXT is text only. Fonts, bold and italics, images and colours are dropped. Lines and columns are approximated with spaces and line breaks. If you need formatting, convert to Word or RTF instead.
- Why is my TXT file empty?
- Most likely the PDF is a scan: its pages are images with no text layer, and the converter does not recognize images. Use our PDF Reader with OCR (beta) for such files.
- Which encoding is used?
- UTF-8. Modern editors open it correctly, including Notepad on Windows 10 and 11, TextEdit, VS Code and Notepad++.
- Are files deleted after conversion?
- Yes. Files are used only to extract text and are deleted from the server automatically within 48 hours.
- What is the maximum PDF size?
- Up to 100 MB per upload. Compress or split a large document first.
- Can I extract PDF text on my phone?
- Yes. Open the page in a mobile browser, upload the PDF and download the TXT. It opens in any notes app or file manager.