Free Extract Text from PDF
Pull the selectable text out of a PDF and copy or download it as a plain .txt file.
PDF file
Add one PDF file · Maximum 200 MB · Up to 500 pages
Processed entirely in your browser. Your PDF is never uploaded.
Extracted text
How to extract text from a PDF
- Choose or drop a PDF file.
- The selectable text from every page is extracted automatically.
- Copy the text or download it as a .txt file. Toggle page markers on or off first if you want.
Why some PDFs show no text
This tool reads the selectable text layer already stored in a PDF. A PDF made from scanned pages or photos has no text layer — only pixels — so nothing can be extracted without OCR (optical character recognition), which this tool does not perform.
Your file stays private
The PDF is opened and read entirely in your browser using the same rendering engine behind Firefox's PDF viewer. Nothing is uploaded to Inqita or any server.
Common use cases
- Pull a quote or clause out of a PDF without retyping it
- Get plain text from a report to paste into an email or document
- Check whether a PDF actually contains selectable text before OCR
Frequently asked questions
Is this tool free?
Yes. It is completely free, with no signup and no limits.
Is my PDF uploaded anywhere?
No. The PDF is opened and read locally in your browser. Nothing is sent to Inqita or stored.
Why is the extracted text empty or garbled?
The PDF likely contains only scanned images with no real text layer, or uses a non-standard font encoding. This tool extracts existing text; it does not perform OCR on images.
Can I extract text from a password-protected PDF?
No. Remove the password first using a PDF tool that supports decryption, then extract the text.
Does this keep the original formatting, like columns or tables?
No. Text is extracted in reading order as plain text. Complex layouts such as multi-column pages or tables may appear reordered, since PDF has no structural concept of columns or rows.