How to use this tool
- PDF → Text: choose a PDF. The text appears in the box below, page by page. Copy it or download it as a .txt file.
- Text → PDF: switch tabs, paste or type your text (or load a .txt file), pick a font size and page size, then click Create PDF.
Why some PDFs give no text
A PDF can contain real text, or just a picture of text. PDFs created from Word, Google Docs or a website usually contain real text, and extraction works well. A PDF made by scanning paper, or from photos, is normally only an image. In that case there is no text to extract, and the tool will tell you that very little text was found.
To get text from a scanned document you need OCR (optical character recognition), which "reads" the letters in the image. Many scanner apps and some office programs include OCR.
Want to know more? Read why you sometimes cannot copy text from a PDF.
About the extracted text
The tool keeps line breaks where the PDF marks the end of a line, and separates pages with a clear marker. Complex layouts such as multiple columns, tables or text boxes may come out in a different order than you see on screen, because PDFs store text in drawing order, not reading order. A quick review after copying is a good idea.
Creating a PDF from text
Text to PDF uses a standard, widely supported font and wraps long lines automatically, adding new pages as needed. It is ideal for notes, lists, simple letters and code snippets. The standard PDF fonts cover Latin alphabets (English, French, Spanish and similar languages). Characters from other scripts, such as Arabic or Chinese, are replaced with "?" and the tool warns you when this happens.
Frequently asked questions
Can I extract text from a scanned PDF?
Not with this tool. Scanned PDFs contain images rather than text. You need an OCR tool to recognize the letters first.
Why is the text in the wrong order?
PDFs store text in the order it was drawn, which does not always match reading order, especially with columns and tables. Check and adjust the text after extracting it.
Does Text to PDF support Arabic?
Not yet. The built-in PDF font only covers Latin characters. Arabic and other non-Latin characters are replaced with "?".
Is formatting kept?
No. PDF → Text gives plain text without fonts, colors or images. Text → PDF creates a simple document with one font.
Helpful guides
- Why You Sometimes Can't Copy Text From a PDF (and What to Do)
- JPG vs PNG vs WebP: Which Format Should You Use When Converting a PDF?
- PDF or Word? Which Format to Send and When
- How to Copy Text From a PDF for Free (Including Long Documents)
- What Is a PDF File? A Simple Explanation