Extract all text from a PDF as plain text
WhiskFile PDF to Text is a free online tool to extract all text from a PDF as plain text. Files are processed entirely in your browser — nothing is uploaded to any server.
Quick Answer
Extract all text from a PDF as plain text. WhiskFile's PDF to Text is free, works in your browser, and requires no account. Your files never leave your device — all processing happens locally.
Upload your PDF
Drop a PDF file or click to browse. The text extraction begins automatically as soon as the file loads.
Choose layout mode
Select 'Flowing Text' for clean, readable paragraphs — ideal for copying into documents or AI tools. Choose 'Preserve Layout' to keep column spacing and table alignment from the original PDF.
Set page range
Optionally enter a page range (e.g. 1-5, 8, 10-12) to extract text from specific pages instead of the entire document.
Review extracted text
Browse the extracted text with per-page navigation. Use the Search button or Ctrl+F to find and highlight specific words or phrases.
View statistics
Check the word count, character count, and page count displayed at the top of the results panel.
Download or copy
Click Download to save as a .txt file, or Copy to send the text directly to your clipboard. Toggle page separators on or off before exporting.
Max file size: 50 MB (free) · 500 MB (paid). Processing time: ~10s on average. Upload one file at a time.
PDF to Text runs entirely in your browser — no software to install. Works on any device with a modern browser.
Windows & Mac
Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari
iPhone & Android
Safari, Chrome mobile
iPad & Tablets
Full touch support
Unlike server-based tools that upload your documents, WhiskFile processes everything locally in your browser. Your files never leave your device — not even temporarily.
No upload required
Files are processed in your browser — nothing is sent to any server
100% private
No server storage, no data collection, no third-party access
Works offline
Once loaded, works without an internet connection
“Converting presentations to PDF for clients is seamless. The formatting stays perfect every time.”
Lisa Thompson
Marketing Manager
“I convert Excel reports to PDF daily. WhiskFile keeps my tables and charts looking exactly right.”
Alex Rivera
Data Analyst
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Client-side processing
This tool now runs entirely in your browser — files never leave your device.
Result preview & sharing
Preview your processed file before downloading, and share results via a secure link.
This tool extracts text from text-native PDFs. For scanned PDFs (images of text), use our OCR PDF tool instead which recognizes text from images.
Flowing Text produces clean, readable paragraphs — best for copying text into documents or AI tools. Preserve Layout keeps column spacing and table alignment — best for multi-column PDFs, tables, and financial reports.
Yes. Enter a page range like '1-5, 8, 10-12' before uploading, or change it after to re-extract specific pages.
Click the Find button or press Ctrl+F (Cmd+F on Mac). Type your search term and use the arrow buttons to navigate between matches.
No. WhiskFile's PDF to Text converter runs entirely in your browser. Your PDF never leaves your device — zero upload, zero server processing, total privacy.
Yes. There are no file size or page count limits. Text extraction happens in your browser and is very fast — even 100+ page PDFs extract in seconds.
Yes. Click the Copy button to copy all extracted text to your clipboard instantly. You can also download it as a .txt file.
No. This tool extracts plain text only — no formatting, fonts, or styling. If you need formatted output, use our PDF to Word converter instead.
This tool does not currently support password-protected PDFs. Remove the password first using our Unlock PDF tool, then extract the text.
Yes. After extraction, the tool shows word count, character count, and page count statistics at the top of the results.
PDF to Text extracts plain text without formatting — just the words. PDF to Word creates an editable .docx file that preserves fonts, images, tables, and layout. Use PDF to Text when you only need the text content.
Yes. The tool runs entirely in your browser and works on any device — iPhone, iPad, Android phones and tablets.
Plain text (.txt). This is a universal format that can be opened in any text editor, word processor, or programming environment.
Yes. PDF to Text on WhiskFile is completely free with no account required. Free users get 7 tasks per day with files up to 50 MB. There are no watermarks on any plan. Pro plans ($4.99/month) unlock unlimited tasks, 500 MB files, batch processing, and API access.
Yes. PDF to Text runs entirely in your browser using WebAssembly. Your files are never uploaded to any server — they stay on your device throughout the entire process. No data is transmitted, stored, or accessible to WhiskFile or any third party.
See how WhiskFile compares to other PDF tools on features, pricing, and privacy.
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OCR (Optical Character Recognition) converts a scanned PDF — which is just an image — into a searchable PDF with real text. After OCR, you can search the document with Ctrl+F, copy text, and have the content indexed by search engines and document management systems.
How to Make a PDF Searchable Online — Free OCR Guide
A scanned PDF is just a photograph inside a PDF wrapper — it has no text layer, so Ctrl+F finds nothing. Making it searchable means running OCR (Optical Character Recognition) to add a hidden text layer. Here is exactly how to do it.
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Chromebook & Linux
Any modern browser
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