Words out, file stays here
Extract text from a PDF
No files yet. Drop them above. They stay on your computer.
Extract text reads the text layer of a PDF and saves it as a plain .txt file. Quotes, notes, and passages you want to reuse come out as words you can open in any editor. The work runs in this browser. The PDF you dropped stays on disk.
A scan or a page made only of pictures has no text layer, so those pages come out empty. This page does not run OCR. Columns and tables can land in a different order than you read them. Unlock password-protected PDFs on your computer first. Close the tab and the working files are gone.
They stay on your computer. Nothing is uploaded.
How to extract text from a PDF
- Drop one PDF. It is read in this tab, never uploaded.
- Leave “Mark each page” on if you want a page heading in the text file.
- Click Extract text. The words are copied in this browser.
- Download the .txt file. The PDF you dropped stays on disk.
Extract PDF text without uploading
Most “PDF to text” sites take the file and read it on a server. This page uses PDF.js in the tab you already have open. There is no account and no queue. If it fails, the file never sat on someone else’s disk.
Need a picture of the page? Use PDF to JPG.
Questions
Can I extract text from a PDF without uploading it?
Yes. LoveThisPDF reads the text layer in this tab and writes a .txt file on your device. Nothing is sent to a server.
Will a scanned PDF work?
Only if the scan already has a text layer. A picture of a page has nothing to copy. Use PDF to JPG if you need an image of the page instead.
Does the reading order stay perfect?
Most single-column pages come out line by line. Columns, tables, and headers can land in a different order than you read them. Check the text file before you rely on it.
Can I mark where each page starts?
Yes. Leave “Mark each page” on. Each page in the text file starts with its page number.
Will this change my original PDF?
No. You download a text file. The PDF you dropped stays on disk.