Extract text from PDF
Turn selectable or scanned PDF pages into editable text without uploading your document.
Drop a PDF here, or click to choose one
Selectable text is read directly. Scanned English pages use private local OCR.
Extract text
You can correct the text here. Copies and downloads use your edited version.
Text based PDFs
Selectable characters are read directly, so extraction is fast and does not need OCR.
Scanned PDFs
Image pages are rendered and recognized with an English OCR engine inside your browser.
Mixed PDFs
Automatic mode chooses direct extraction or OCR separately for each selected page.
How to extract text from a PDF
- 1
Add your PDF
Drop one PDF into the upload area or choose a file from your device.
- 2
Let the browser inspect each page
Selectable text is read directly and scanned pages are recognized with local OCR when needed.
- 3
Review and correct the result
Search the extracted text, inspect page statuses, and edit any spacing or OCR mistakes.
- 4
Copy or download
Copy the finished text or save it as a UTF-8 TXT file on your device.
Direct extraction and OCR are different
A digital PDF usually contains characters, font information, and positions. Those characters can be extracted without looking at page pixels. A scanned PDF is closer to a folder of photographs, so an OCR engine must inspect the image and estimate which letters and words it contains. Automatic mode checks every page and avoids OCR when useful embedded text is already available.
You can choose Existing text only for the fastest result, or force OCR on every selected page when a PDF contains an inaccurate hidden text layer. Forced OCR can help with some old scans, but it will take longer and may replace correct embedded text with less accurate recognition.
Choose the pages and output style you need
Process selected pages
Leave the page field empty to extract the entire PDF. For a smaller result, enter a range such as 2-7 or combine ranges and single pages such as 1-3, 8, 11-14.
Readable or line preserving text
Readable paragraphs join ordinary line wraps and repair simple end of line hyphenation. Preserve visual lines keeps line breaks closer to the source page, which can be useful for lists, receipts, and manual review.
What the extractor keeps
The result keeps Unicode text, page order, and optional page labels. It is intended for copying, searching, quoting, note taking, and plain text workflows. Your edited result is used when you copy or download the TXT file.
Plain text cannot preserve fonts, colors, exact spacing, images, form controls, or the visual structure of a complex table. If you need the pages to look identical, convert the PDF to JPG or PNG instead. If you need to add words to the original pages, use the Add text to PDF tool.
Private text extraction in your browser
Your PDF is opened by JavaScript in the current browser tab. Direct extraction uses the local PDF engine, and scanned pages are passed to a local WebAssembly OCR worker. The OCR code and English language model are static files downloaded from LocalPDFLab. They do not receive your PDF, page images, filename, or extracted text.
Selected files and unsaved edits remain in the current tab. Closing or reloading the page clears the active document. After the OCR resources have been cached by your browser, they can be reused without downloading the model again.
Accuracy and reading order
PDF files are designed to place content on a page, not to store a clean stream of paragraphs. A properly tagged document usually gives extraction software a better reading order. Untagged multi-column pages, floating captions, mathematical notation, unusual fonts, and tables may appear in a different order from the visual page.
OCR accuracy depends on the scan. Sharp, upright, high contrast printed text produces the best result. Blur, shadows, skew, handwriting, decorative lettering, and very small text can introduce mistakes. Always review important names, numbers, dates, and legal or financial text before using the result.
Common ways to use extracted PDF text
- Copy a report into notes without retyping it.
- Recover printed text from a scanned letter or receipt.
- Search a long document using a plain text editor.
- Prepare source material for translation or accessibility review.
- Extract selected pages for research and citation notes.
- Move document content into a writing or data cleanup workflow.
Frequently asked questions
Can this tool extract text from a scanned PDF?
Yes. Automatic mode reads existing PDF text first and uses local OCR when a page does not contain enough selectable text. OCR currently recognizes printed English text.
Is my PDF uploaded anywhere?
No. PDF reading, page rendering, text extraction, and OCR happen inside your browser. The OCR engine files may be downloaded from this site when first needed, but your document and extracted text are not sent with that request.
Why is the extracted text in the wrong order?
A PDF stores positioned characters rather than normal paragraphs. Untagged pages, multiple columns, floating labels, and complex tables may not contain a reliable reading order. You can edit the result before copying or downloading it.
Does OCR work with handwriting?
The OCR engine is designed for printed text. Clear block handwriting may produce partial results, but handwriting accuracy is not guaranteed.
Can I extract text from only a few pages?
Yes. Enter individual pages or ranges such as 1-5, 8. Only those pages will be processed and included in the output.
What can I download?
You can copy the editable result to your clipboard or download it as a UTF-8 plain text file. Any corrections you make in the result box are included.
Why does OCR take longer than normal extraction?
Text based PDFs can be read directly. A scanned page must first be rendered as an image and then analyzed by the OCR engine on your device, which requires more processing time and memory.
Next steps
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