PDF to Text Converter
Extract human readable text from any PDF document instantly
or drag and drop here
When Do You Need a PDF to Text Converter? What Does It Really Do?
PDF to Text Converter is a powerful tool for anyone who needs to extract text from PDF files easily. This tool makes life a lot easier for a researcher trying to extract quotes from a locked PDF, or a professional painstakingly entering data from a scanned report into an excel sheet.
Students often need to convert the PDF of textbooks into editable format for notes and this converter helps them do just that. You have to understand the difference between text PDFs (where you can select and copy the text) and scanned PDFs (which are essentially images that need to be processed with OCR software (Optical Character Recognition) to recognise the characters).
This tool works fine with both cases: it lets users convert pdf to text file easily and provides the extracted content in a readable format, either by copying directly or by downloading as a plain text file.
Key Features
OCR Engine
Improved processing for extraction of text from scanned image based PDFs.
Direct Extraction
Extract content directly and quickly from normal text-based PDFs.
Copy Output
The selected content is immediately copied straight to your clipboard.
Download as Text File
Simple options to download as plain text files.
Local Processing
Your documents remain on your device, securely processed in your browser, no uploading needed.
How to Use
Upload the PDF
Users can upload their preferred PDF or scanned image pdf file to the converter tool.
Initiate the OCR scan
After uploading the file, click on the “Extract Text” button to begin the Optical Character Recognition (OCR) scan.
Copy or Download the extracted text
The tool will scan the document structure and extract the text in a matter of seconds. The user then has the option to copy and paste the text out of the text box, or download it as a plain text file to use later.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I extract text from a PDF for free?
Upload your PDF to ToolCompanion, then click Extract Text, and copy the output from the text box or download it as a free plain text file.
Can I extract text from a scanned PDF?
Yes. It uses an OCR engine to scan image based pages and identify characters so it works on both scanned documents and standard text based PDFs.
Why is the extracted text from my PDF showing gibberish or symbols?
This is common in PDFs with custom embedded fonts, or highly compressed scans. Scans that are below 150 DPI can also greatly reduce the accuracy of OCR.
Can I convert a PDF to a text file and save it?
Yes. After it is extracted, click the Download button to save the output as a plain .txt file that you can open with any text editor or word processor.
Is there a difference between copying text from a PDF and using a PDF to text converter?
If the text in your PDF is selectable, you can copy it manually. But for scanned PDFs or locked documents where text selection is disabled then a pdf to text converter with OCR is the only way to get the content out.
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