Photo to TextPhoto to Text

PDF to Text Converter

Drop a PDF below to extract editable text with OCR — copy into notes, or download TXT. Scanned pages work too.

  • Online PDF to text OCR
  • Scanned PDFs supported
  • Copy or download TXT

Drop images or PDFs here

JPG, PNG, WEBP, HEIC, PDF

How to convert PDF to text in 3 steps

From a PDF or scanned document to text you can copy and edit.

  1. Upload a PDF file to convert to text
    1

    Upload your PDF

    Drop a PDF into the converter above. Multi-page files expand into pages you can review.

  2. OCR extracting text from PDF pages
    2

    Extract text with OCR

    Run Simple or Advanced OCR to pull text from each page — including scanned PDFs.

  3. Download extracted PDF text as a TXT file
    3

    Copy or download TXT

    Edit the result if needed, then copy to your clipboard or download a TXT file.

PDF to text — built for documents you already have

PDF to text is the main workflow. Scanned pages and image-based PDFs use the same OCR path when the words live in a picture.

  • PDF to text

    Native and scanned PDFs

  • Scanned PDF OCR

    Paper docs saved as PDF

  • Multi-page PDFs

    Review pages one by one

  • TXT download

    Copy or save plain text

PDF document converting into editable plain text

Everyday PDF to text workflows

When the words sit in a PDF, pull them into editable text instead of retyping.

Convert scanned contract PDF to text

Contracts & forms

Turn a scanned contract or filled form into text you can search, quote, and reuse.

Convert meeting notes PDF to text

Meeting notes & handouts

Extract meeting notes, training packs, and handouts from PDF into copy-ready text.

Convert scanned paperwork PDF to text

Scanned paperwork

PDF to text for paper letters, reports, and archives you only have as a scan.

Frequently asked questions

Is this PDF to text converter online free?
Yes to start: open the PDF to text converter online and add files without paying first. Simple OCR uses 1 credit per page; Advanced OCR uses 10. See pricing.
Can I extract text from scanned PDFs?
Yes. Photo to Text renders each scanned PDF page as an image, then OCR extracts the text — the same path used for photo documents.
Does PDF to text work with multi-page files?
Yes. Multi-page PDFs expand into separate pages so you can review, edit, and download text from each one. Free accounts can process up to 10 pages per run; paid accounts up to 100.
How is PDF to text different from Photo to Text?
Same converter underneath. This page focuses on PDF to text; the Photo to Text homepage leads with images and screenshots. Need Word or Excel instead? Try JPG to Word or JPG to Excel.
Do you store my PDFs?
Guest conversions do not transmit or store your PDFs as account history. If you sign in and save Results, you can delete them anytime. Unused Results are cleared automatically after about 14 days.