How to Copy Text from a PDF (Even When Copying Fails)

📃Free PDF to Text
Extract all the text from a PDF.Open tool →

Text-based PDFs

Open PDF to Text, choose the file and copy the extracted text, page by page, or download a .txt file. It reads the text directly from the file, so it works even when the viewer makes selecting awkward.

Scanned PDFs

If nothing comes out, the PDF is a picture of paper. Take a screenshot of the page (or export pages with PDF to JPG) and run it through Image to Text (OCR).

Garbled characters

Some PDFs use custom font encodings, so copied text looks like random symbols. OCR on a screenshot usually works better.

Respect restrictions

Some PDFs are restricted by their owner. Only extract text from documents you have the right to use.

Frequently asked questions

Does it keep formatting?

Line breaks are kept; fonts and tables are not.

Is my PDF uploaded?

No.

Can I convert PDF to Word?

Copy the text into Word; complex layouts may need manual tidy-up.