Free PDF to Text Converter
Extract text from PDF documents instantly. Just drag and drop your PDF file and get clean, copyable text in seconds. No signup required for the first 2 pages.
Converting PDF to text lets you copy, search, and reuse content from PDF documents without retyping. Our free PDF to text converter extracts plain text from native PDFs and uses OCR (optical character recognition) for scanned or image-based PDFs, so you get accurate, copyable text in seconds. Whether you need to pull quotes for research, migrate content to a CMS, or make documents searchable, the tool works in your browser with no installation. The first 2 pages are free without signup; create a free account for full-document conversion, batch processing, and API access. We process files in memory and never store your documents. For structured output with headings and lists, try our PDF to Markdown converter; to find specific phrases inside a PDF, use our Search in PDF tool. Explore all free document tools on DocLD.
Why Choose Our PDF to Text Converter?
Our converter combines speed, accuracy, and privacy to give you the best text extraction experience.
Lightning Fast
Convert PDFs in seconds. Our optimized parser handles documents of any size quickly and efficiently.
Private & Secure
Your files are processed securely and never stored on our servers. Privacy is our top priority.
Accurate Extraction
Preserves formatting and structure. Extract text exactly as it appears in your PDF document.
How It Works
Convert your PDF to text in four simple steps
Upload PDF
Drag and drop your PDF file or click to browse. We accept all standard PDF formats.
Text Extraction
Our parser extracts text from native PDF layers, preserving the document structure.
OCR Processing
For scanned documents, our OCR technology recognizes and extracts text from images.
Download Text
Copy to clipboard or download as a .txt file. Your clean text is ready to use.
How We Compare
See how DocLD stacks up against other PDF to text converters
| Feature | DocLD | Adobe Acrobat | Free Online Tools |
|---|---|---|---|
| Text Extraction | |||
| OCR Support | Partial | Limited | |
| Table Preservation | |||
| Privacy (No Storage) | |||
| Free Tier | 2 pages free | Limited | |
| No Sign-up Required | |||
| API Access |
Popular Use Cases
Our PDF to text converter is used across industries for various purposes
Academic Research
Extract text from research papers, journals, and academic PDFs for citation, analysis, or note-taking.
Legal Document Review
Convert contracts, legal filings, and court documents to searchable text for faster review and analysis.
Business Contracts
Extract key terms, clauses, and obligations from business contracts and agreements.
Medical Records
Digitize medical records and healthcare documents for electronic health record systems.
Content Migration
Migrate content from PDF archives to modern content management systems and databases.
Search & Index
Make PDF content searchable by extracting text for indexing in search engines and databases.
Extraction Accuracy by PDF Type
Our converter achieves industry-leading accuracy across different types of PDF documents. Native text PDFs provide the best results, while our advanced OCR handles scanned documents with high precision.
- Native Text PDFs: 99%+ accuracy with perfect text extraction
- Mixed Content: 97% accuracy for PDFs with text and images
- Scanned Documents: 95% accuracy using OCR technology
- Handwritten Text: 85% accuracy for legible handwriting
Tips for Best Results
Follow these tips to get the most accurate text extraction from your PDFs
Use High-Quality Scans
For scanned documents, use at least 300 DPI resolution for the best OCR accuracy.
Native PDFs Convert Faster
PDFs created directly from digital documents (not scanned) process much faster.
Large Files Take Longer
Documents with many pages or high-resolution images may take a few extra seconds.
Your Data Stays Private
Files are processed in memory and immediately deleted. We never store your documents.
Check Text Formatting
Complex layouts may require minor formatting adjustments after extraction.
Multi-Language Support
Our OCR supports 50+ languages including Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, and more.
Frequently Asked Questions
Ready to Convert More PDFs?
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