extract readable text
The PDF to Text tool pulls the readable text out of a PDF document so you can copy, search, or paste it into another program. It reads the text layer of the PDF directly, which is faster and more accurate than retyping content by hand.
Pulling a paragraph or quote out of a report without retyping it manually.
Getting text from a PDF into a word processor for editing.
Making the content of a PDF searchable by pasting it into a notes app or search tool.
Extracting contract or policy text to review or compare against another version.
This tool reads the PDF's embedded text layer. A scanned PDF that's purely an image, with no text layer, won't have extractable text unless it's already been OCR-processed.
The tool extracts plain text content; visual formatting like bold, italics, and columns is not preserved in the output.
This tool extracts all text from the file. To isolate a section, use the Split PDF tool first, then extract text from that smaller file.
ToolBench runs this tool entirely in your browser. Your file or text is processed on your own device using JavaScript — nothing is uploaded to a server, nothing is stored, and there's no sign-up wall between you and the result. That's true of every one of the 500+ tools on this site, from PDF utilities to unit converters.