Convert PDF to text
Every word from every page in a plain text file — copy it into any app.
Drop your PDF files here or click to browse
Stays on your device — nothing is uploaded
Select several files to process them together
How do I convert PDF to text for free?
Open PDFkitt's PDF to Text tool (pdfkitt.com/pdf-to-text/): choose the PDF, pick the layout, convert, then download the .txt. It is free, needs no account and adds no watermark, and it runs entirely in your browser — the file is never uploaded to a server.
- Price
- Free — no trial, no paid tier, no watermark
- Account
- Not needed
- File upload
- None — processed on your device, in the browser
- Input
- PDF files (several at once)
- Limits
- No daily quota and no file-count limit
- Works on
- Windows, macOS, Linux, iPhone, iPad and Android, in any modern browser
Updated · by the PDFkitt team
When you only need the words — to paste into an email, feed a script, index a document or read on a tiny screen — a .txt file is simpler than any other format. This tool reads the text layer of the PDF and writes it out, reflowed into paragraphs, kept line by line, or in raw order.
Scanned PDFs have no text layer: run OCR PDF on them first (or use Extract Text, which can do both). Nothing is uploaded.
How to convert PDF to text
- Choose the PDF Drop it on the upload card.
- Pick the layout Paragraphs is best for reading; lines for tables and code.
- Convert Instant, in your browser.
- Download the .txt Or open it and copy the text.
Why use PDFkitt to PDF to Text?
The file is processed inside your browser tab. Disconnect from the internet after the page loads and it still works.
No signup, no email, no daily quota, no page limit, no watermark. Use it as often as you like.
Phone, tablet or desktop, in Chrome, Safari, Edge and Firefox. Nothing to install.
Frequently asked questions
The text file is empty
The PDF is probably a scan. Use OCR PDF or Extract Text from PDF, which recognises text in images.
Are headers and footers removed?
No, everything on the page is included, in reading order.
Is my file uploaded?
No. The conversion runs inside your browser; you can even disconnect from the internet after the page loads.