pdfcosmos

PDF to TXT

Pull the text out of a PDF, pick the pages, then download a plain .txt file.

Free, fast, and privacy-first.

Extract text from a PDF

or drag & drop files here

PDF files onlyone file at a timeup to 100 MB each

Convert PDF to text: extract a PDF's words, privately

Pull the text out of a PDF into a plain .txt file, handy for quoting, searching, or reusing the words elsewhere. pdfcosmos reads the text entirely in your browser, so your document never leaves your device.

You get plain text only: a best-effort reading order (top to bottom, left to right), without columns, tables, or exact spacing. It reads the PDF's own text layer with full Unicode support (including Arabic, Chinese, and emoji), saved as UTF-8. Scanned or image-only PDFs have no text layer, so those need OCR, which this tool doesn't do. It tells you instead of returning an empty file. Extract all pages, the first or last, or a custom range.

  • Full Unicode text

    Reads the PDF's text layer (Latin, Arabic, Chinese, emoji), saved as UTF-8.

  • Pick the pages

    All pages, the first or last, or a range like 1-3, 8, 11-end.

  • Honest about scans

    Image-only PDFs need OCR (which this doesn't do), so you get a clear message, not an empty file.

  • Nothing is uploaded

    The text is read in your browser. Your PDF never leaves your device.

How to convert a PDF to text

  1. Add your PDF

    Click “Add PDF”, or drag a single file into the upload area.

  2. Choose the pages

    Extract text from all pages, just the first or last, or a custom range.

  3. Extract and download

    Click “Extract text” to download a plain .txt file with your PDF's text.

Frequently asked questions

Is my PDF uploaded to a server?
No. The text is read entirely in your browser using pdf.js. Your file never leaves your device. You can confirm it by opening your browser's Network tab while extracting: no file data is sent.
Why does my PDF come out empty, or with missing text?
This tool reads the text layer that's stored inside the PDF. Scanned documents and image-only PDFs have no text layer (they're just pictures of text), so there's nothing to extract, and the tool tells you so. Turning those into text needs OCR (optical character recognition), which this tool doesn't do.
Is the page layout preserved?
No. You get plain text only. We rebuild a best-effort reading order (top to bottom, left to right), but columns, tables, and exact spacing aren't reproduced. Text from a multi-column page may not be in perfect order.
Which languages and characters are supported?
Any text that's stored in the PDF's text layer, including non-Latin scripts like Arabic, Chinese, or emoji. Reading text is full Unicode. The .txt file is saved as UTF-8.
Can I choose which pages to extract?
Yes. Extract from all pages, just the first or last, or a custom range like 1-3, 8, 11-end. All the selected pages are combined into a single .txt file.
Is PDF to TXT free?
Yes, it's completely free to use, with no sign-up and nothing to install.