Convert PDF to Text Online for Free

Can’t access the text inside a PDF? We help you pull it out fast, even when it’s a scan.

If you want to copy, edit, or reuse content from a PDF, converting the PDF to text keeps things simple.

Smallpdf PDF to Text converter works for regular PDFs and scanned files, thanks to OCR (Optical Character Recognition).

You can start converting right away in your browser. No installs. No setup.

Step 1: Upload Your PDF

Open the Smallpdf PDF to Word converter and add your file. You can drag and drop, or import from cloud storage like Google Drive, Dropbox, and OneDrive.

Step 2: Choose the Right Conversion Mode

If your PDF contains selectable text, the conversion runs normally.

If your PDF is scanned (text looks like a picture), enable OCR so we can recognize the characters and turn them into real text.

Step 3: Download Your TXT File

Once the conversion finishes, export your result as a plain text file and download it. Open it in any text editor to copy, edit, or reuse the content.

A scanned PDF is basically a photo of a page. That’s why you can’t highlight, copy, or search the words. OCR fixes that by creating a text layer from the image.

To get cleaner OCR output, two small choices matter most:

• Pick the correct document language before you run OCR. It improves accuracy for accents and special characters.

• Use a clear scan. Higher contrast and straight pages convert better than blurry, angled photos.

Our OCR supports 25+ languages, including English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, and Portuguese.

TXT is intentionally simple. That’s the advantage and the tradeoff. 

PDF to text conversion usually keeps:

• The words themselves

• Basic line breaks and paragraphs (depends on the PDF)

TXT files do not maintain:

• Fonts, spacing, columns, headers, footers, or page layout

• Tables in a tidy grid, which often turn into spaced-out lines instead

If layout matters, convert with PDF to Word first and edit there, then export again.

PDF to text works best when you need the words, not the page design. For example:

• You need to copy clauses from a contract into a working draft.

• You want to pull sections from a report into a new document.

• You have a scanned form and need the typed content for a system.

• You want a clean text version to search, quote, or translate.

1. The TXT Output Looks Garbled or Is Missing Words

This usually points to scan quality or tricky formatting. Try this:

• Re-scan at higher quality if the source is blurry.

• Run OCR and select the correct language.

• Rotate sideways pages before OCR, so text reads upright.

2. The PDF Won’t Convert Because It’s Protected

If the file is encrypted, you may need permission to open it first. After it’s unlocked, convert it again.

3. The Text Order Is Wrong (Columns, Tables, Complex Layouts)

OCR and converters can misread multi-column layouts. Try this:

• Convert to Word first, fix the layout in Word, then export what you need.

• If you only need one section, extract just those pages before converting.

For free use of Smallpdf, there are some daily limits, often two tasks per day.

Pro plans increase limits and can include batch processing for handling multiple files faster.

Sometimes, TXT is the working format, not the final format.

Convert text to PDF when you need:

• A clean, shareable version that won’t shift formatting

• A document for signing, sending, or uploading to a portal

• A locked layout for resumes, applications, and official submissions

If you want a polished file, a common flow is: PDF to Text for extraction, then Word to PDF for the final version.

• PDF to Word for editable formatting instead of plain TXT

• PDF OCR when your PDF is image-only and needs a text layer

• Compress PDF if your file gets too large to share after edits

• Translate PDF if you need a fast translation starting point

If you just need the words, our PDF to Text converter gives you a fast, clean TXT file without extra steps. Upload your PDF, enable OCR for scans, download your text, and keep moving.