MammothPDF
Tools

PDF to Text

Pick the pages and the text comes out as a .txt file: as paragraphs that reflow in an editor, or line by line as it sits on the page. A scan that has been through OCR extracts like any other file; one that hasn't has no text to give. Everything runs in your browser - the file never leaves your device.

Drop PDF files here

Drag them straight from your desktop

or
  • PDF files only
  • Up to 15 MB each
  • 2 files a run - unlimited with Pro

The text comes out in reading order, as a search would see it - an OCR'd scan included.

Frequently asked questions

What comes out?

A plain .txt file per PDF with the chosen pages' text in reading order - as paragraphs that reflow in an editor, or line by line as it sits on the page - with an optional heading or blank line between pages. Everything runs in your browser; the file is never uploaded.

Does it work on scanned PDFs?

Only if the scan has a text layer. A scan that has been through the OCR tool extracts like any other file - the invisible text is read. A scan without one has no text to give; the file list says so and points at OCR.

Why do some lines come out in an odd order?

The text is read line by line, top to bottom, by where each line sits on the page. A page laid out in columns or boxes can interleave; switch the layout to Lines to see each line as it is, or narrow the pages.

What about tables and forms?

Choose Lines: every line stays on its own row, with a space where the page leaves a gap, so a table's rows stay rows. Paragraphs mode is for prose - it joins the lines of a block and mends hyphenated breaks.

Missing something, or did the result surprise you?