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PDF to Text
Extract readable text from a PDF into a text file.
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PDF to Text processes files locally in your browser.
Extract text from a PDF into a plain text file in your browser
Turn a text-based PDF into a downloadable .txt file. Everything runs locally so your file stays on your device.
How to convert PDF to text
- Choose or drop a PDF file.
- The tool checks the PDF has real, extractable text.
- Convert to text.
- Download the resulting .txt file.
What gets extracted
- Paragraphs and headings, as plain text.
- Simple, regularly-gridded tables as pipe-separated lines (best-effort).
- Reading order across each page, with page breaks marked.
Browser privacy
- Processing occurs locally in the browser.
- Files are not uploaded to Looty Tools.
- Conversion results remain on your device.
Limits
- Maximum file size is 25 MB, up to 50 pages.
- Scanned or image-only PDFs have no extractable text and are rejected with a clear message — this tool does not perform OCR.
- Plain text has no formatting: tables become space/ "|"-separated lines instead of a real grid, and no bold, italic, or heading formatting survives since the output is a .txt file.
- Complex layouts and precise visual formatting may not match the original PDF exactly.
Related PDF tools
- PDF to JPGConvert PDF pages into downloadable JPG or PNG images.
- PDF to WordTurn a PDF into an editable Word document without losing the layout.
- Text to PDFTurn plain text into a clean PDF document.
- PDF to RTFConvert a PDF into an editable Rich Text Format document.
Guides
- How to Convert PDF to TextTurn a text-based PDF into a plain .txt file in your browser, and see when plain text — not Word or HTML — is actually the right output format for the job.
- PDF to Text Line & Table HandlingThe specific mechanics behind PDF to Text's plain .txt output: pipe-joined table rows, the form-feed page-break marker, and why multi-column layouts can read out of order.
- Why Scanned PDFs Can't Convert to TextA checklist for telling whether your PDF has real extractable text before you upload it, and why PDF to Text rejects true scanned PDFs instead of guessing.
PDF to Text FAQ
- Is my PDF uploaded anywhere?
- No. Extraction runs locally in the browser. Your PDF is not uploaded to Looty Tools.
- Does this work on scanned PDFs?
- No. Scanned or image-only PDFs have no extractable text and are detected and rejected with a clear message. This tool does not perform OCR.
- How are paragraphs and line breaks handled?
- Lines on each page are grouped into paragraphs and headings based on spacing, then written out with a blank line between them so the text stays readable, in the original reading order.
- What is the maximum PDF size?
- The maximum file size is 25 MB, with up to 50 pages.
- Does the text file keep the original formatting?
- No. A .txt file cannot hold bold text, headings, or real tables. Tables are converted to plain lines with cell values separated by " | " instead of a grid, and all other formatting is lost — this is a limitation of plain text, not a full-fidelity conversion.