Extract all of a PDF's text into a plain .txt file, page by page.
Quick answer
To extract text from a PDF, open PDFella's PDF to Text tool, upload the PDF and click Extract text. The text of every page is saved in reading order to a plain .txt file with page separators, ready to download.
Updated 5 October 2026 by the PDFella team
Key facts
Step by step
Drag your PDF onto the upload area or click Choose file. It's read in your browser. Nothing is uploaded.
Text is read from every page in reading order.
Rename the file if you like and click Download. The result is ready in seconds.
Why PDFella
Lines are kept in the order you'd read them.
Each page is clearly marked.
Your file never leaves your device, so conversion is private and fast.
No sign-up, no email and no watermark on the result.
If the result is empty, your PDF is probably a scan, which means pictures of text. Run OCR PDF to recognise the text, then extract it.
Researchers
Analyse document text in other tools.
Developers
Feed PDF content into scripts and search.
Writers
Quote passages without retyping.
Upload it to PDF to Text and click Extract text, then download the .txt file.
The PDF is probably scanned. Run OCR PDF first.
No. Extraction runs in your browser.
Yes, with no account.
No. A .txt file is plain text. Use PDF to Word to keep formatting.
UTF-8, so every language is supported.