PDF guides5 min read
How to extract text from a PDF
Copy the text out of a PDF so you can use it in notes, search it, or work with it somewhere else.
Sometimes you don't want a Word document. You just want the words. Pulling the plain text out of a PDF is faster and more reliable than converting it, because the tool isn't trying to rebuild the layout too.
The tricky part is reading order. A PDF records where each bit of text sits on the page, not the order you're supposed to read it in. The tool works out the order from the positions. That's easy for a single column of text and messy for newspaper-style columns, side boxes and footnotes.
If the PDF is a scan, there's no text in it at all, only a picture of text. Extraction will come back empty. Run OCR first, which reads the words in the image and adds real text to the file. Then extraction has something to work with.
Expect a bit of cleanup afterwards, too. Printed layouts split words with hyphens at line ends, repeat the same header on every page, and break lines at a fixed width. All of that comes through as it is. A few minutes of find and replace usually gets the text into shape.
When you might need this
- You want to reuse some paragraphs without typing them out.
- You want the content searchable in your notes.
- You're moving the text into a spreadsheet, script or some other tool.
- You need to count words or check terms across a long document.
- Another tool you're using only takes plain text.
How to do it
- Open the Extract PDF Text tool.
- Choose your PDF.
- Run the extraction.
- Read through the result, especially where columns and headers are.
- Click Copy to Clipboard and paste the text into your editor.
- Tidy up the hyphenated words and stray line breaks that the printed layout left behind.
Free, with no account. Open it in a new tab and follow along.
Open Extract PDF TextTips
- For scans, use the OCR PDF tool first, then extract from the file it gives you.
- Check columns and tables carefully. The text comes through, but the layout doesn't.
- Think about copyright and privacy before you reuse text from someone else's document.
- If you only need one section, split those pages out first. Less text means less tidying.
- Lines will be broken where the original page ended them. You'll often need to join them back into paragraphs.
- Headers and footers show up once for every page. One find-and-replace usually clears them out.
- Look out for words split with a hyphen at the end of a line. They come through in two pieces and throw off word counts and searches.
- If you want the numbers from a table rather than the text around it, try the PDF to Excel tool. It keeps the rows and columns.
Common mistakes
- Thinking the tool failed when the result is empty, when the PDF is really a scan with no text in it.
- Expecting tables to come out as neat rows and columns. You get the text, not the table.
- Pasting the text straight into a document without fixing the broken lines and hyphens.
- Extracting a whole book when you needed one chapter.
How this compares to Smallpdf, iLovePDF and Adobe
Smallpdf and iLovePDF lean toward converting files rather than pulling out plain text. So getting the words usually means converting to Word first and copying from there, which is an extra step that can make a mess.
Adobe offers proper text extraction in Acrobat, which is a paid desktop app.
Our tool gives you the text straight away in your browser, with a copy button and no upload. Since it runs on your device, extracting text from a confidential report doesn't put that report on anyone's server, and there's no daily limit.
| Criterion | Smallpdf | iLovePDF | Adobe Acrobat online | Easy File Tools |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Where your file is processed | On their servers, after you upload it | On their servers, after you upload it | In Adobe's cloud, after you upload it | In your browser, on your own device |
| Account or sign-in | Asked for early, and needed once you pass the free allowance | Optional for small jobs, needed for bigger ones | Most online tools need an Adobe ID | Never needed |
| Usage limits | A few free tasks, then an upgrade prompt | Daily task and file limits on the free plan | The free web tools are mostly a preview of the paid plan | No task counters and no daily limits |
| File size ceiling | The free plan limits upload size | The free plan limits upload size | Cloud upload limits apply | We don't set one. Your device's memory is the practical limit |
| Works without a connection | No, their server does the work | No, their server does the work | No, the cloud does the work | Yes for the browser tools, once the page has loaded |
| Cost | Paid subscription for full access | Paid subscription for full access | Paid Acrobat subscription for full access | Free. Every tool is open to everyone |
Other services change their plans and limits often, so treat this as a rough picture and not a price list. Check their websites for the current details.
Frequently asked questions
- Why does a scan give me no text?
- A scan is a picture. There's no text in it to pull out. Use the OCR PDF tool first to turn the picture into real text.
- Can tables come out perfectly?
- Usually not. Extraction gets the text, not the layout, so complicated tables need some fixing. If you want a spreadsheet, use the PDF to Excel tool.
- Why is the text in a strange order?
- Columns, side boxes and footnotes are mixed together on the page, and the order is worked out from where things sit. Simple single-column documents come out clean.
- Is my file uploaded?
- No. The text is read from the PDF in your browser.
- Can I extract text from only some pages?
- Split out the pages you need first, then extract from that smaller file.