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Private browser utility / PDF

PDF to Text Converter

Runs entirely in your browser - no upload, no sign-up.

Live workspaceLocal processing

Choose a digital PDF to extract selectable text.

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pdf to text / browser utility
01 / Overview

How do I convert a PDF to text?

Use this PDF to text converter to extract the selectable text already stored in a digital PDF, then copy it or download a TXT file. Processing runs inside your browser, so the document is not uploaded. Scanned image-only PDFs need OCR, and this specific tool does not perform OCR.

02

How to use

  1. 01
    Choose a digital PDF

    Drop one PDF onto the tool or pick it from your device. For the best result, confirm that you can select words in your usual PDF viewer.

  2. 02
    Extract the text layer

    Click Extract text. PDF.js reads each page locally and reports progress without sending the file to a server.

  3. 03
    Review the plain text

    Check paragraphs, columns, tables, and symbols against the original. PDF reading order can differ from visual page order.

  4. 04
    Copy or download

    Edit the result if needed, copy it to the clipboard, or save it as a UTF-8 TXT file.

03

Who it's for

  • Researchers and students pulling quotations or notes from searchable papers into a writing app.
  • Operations teams turning digital reports, invoices, or statements into text for internal review without uploading confidential files.
  • Writers and editors recovering copy from a PDF when the source document is unavailable.
  • Accessibility workflows checking whether a PDF contains a usable text layer before further remediation.

This converter uses Mozilla PDF.js to read each page's existing text layer on your device. It keeps page order and reported line endings, then gives you one editable plain-text result. Images, fonts, columns, tables, and visual formatting are not preserved in TXT output.

There is an important boundary: a digital PDF stores characters that software can select and search. A scan may store only a photograph of a page. Extracting the first kind is text parsing; reading the second requires optical character recognition. This tool does the first job only.

FAQ

Are my PDF files uploaded to a server?

No. Your browser reads the selected PDF locally with PDF.js, and the file is not sent to CanDoYa. The PDF engine code may download when you first use the tool, but your document is not part of that request.

Is this PDF to text converter free?

Yes. You can extract, edit, copy, and download text without an account, watermark, or payment. The work runs on your device, so there is no server conversion queue or uploaded file to retrieve later.

What are the PDF size and page limits?

The tool accepts one PDF up to 100 MB and 2,000 pages. Available memory and device speed can impose a lower practical limit, especially on phones. Split a very large document into smaller PDFs if the browser cannot finish it.

Can this tool extract text from a scanned PDF?

Not when the scan contains only page images. This converter reads existing selectable text and does not perform OCR. A scanned PDF needs an OCR tool that recognizes characters from pixels. Some mixed PDFs contain selectable text on certain pages but not others; the result flags pages with no text.

Why is the extracted text in the wrong order?

PDF pages position text fragments at coordinates and may not store a clear paragraph or column order. PDF.js follows the document's text items and line endings, which can differ from the visual reading order in multi-column layouts, tables, headers, or complex forms.

Does PDF to text preserve formatting and images?

No. TXT files contain plain characters only, so fonts, colors, images, links, columns, and table borders are not preserved. Line breaks come from the PDF text layer and may need editing after extraction.

Why is a password-protected PDF rejected?

The browser cannot read an encrypted document without its password. Open the PDF in a trusted viewer, enter the password, and save an unlocked copy if you have permission. Then add that copy to the converter.

Which languages can be extracted from a PDF?

The parser is not tied to one language. It can return Unicode text in any script when the PDF contains a correct character map and selectable text. If a document uses missing or custom font mappings, copied characters may still be incomplete or incorrect.