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Convert your document to the TXT format
Learn how to convert PDF documents to the TXT format to extract plain text for easy editing, scripting, and processing.
Quick Access To 12 PDF File Conversion Pairs
- Convert PDF to DOC online
- Convert PDF to PPT online
- Convert PDF to RTF online
- Convert PDF to FB2 online
- Convert PDF to DOCX online
- Convert PDF to PDB online
- Convert PDF to TCR online
- Convert PDF to PPTX online
- Convert PDF to ZIP online
- Convert PDF to TAR.BZ2 online
- Convert PDF to TAR.GZ online
- Convert PDF to 7Z online
What Is This Tool?
This tool converts PDF files into plain text (TXT) format by extracting textual content and discarding layout, fonts, images, and other non-text elements. The resulting TXT file is universally supported and editable in any text editor.
How to Use This Tool?
- Upload or select a PDF document to convert.
- Choose TXT as the desired output format.
- Start the conversion process to extract the text content.
- Download the resulting TXT file to open in any text editor.
- Use the plain text for editing, scripting, or import into other tools.
Key Features
- Extracts text from PDF documents into plain, unformatted text files.
- Produces widely compatible TXT files easily opened and edited across platforms.
- Discards non-text content such as images, fonts, and complex layouts for simplicity.
- Supports processing for documentation, scripts, notes, and log file generation.
- Enables lightweight, searchable text suitable for version control and indexing.
Examples
- Converting a PDF technical report to TXT for easy text searching and script inclusion.
- Extracting text from a PDF manual into a plain text file for lightweight documentation.
- Producing a TXT version of an invoice PDF to import data into a log analysis tool.
Common Use Cases
- Reading and editing notes extracted from PDF reports or manuals in simple text editors.
- Exporting PDF text for processing by command-line tools, scripts, or version control systems.
- Creating plain text exports from archived PDF documents for data ingestion or publishing.
Tips & Best Practices
- Verify encoding and newline conventions to ensure text compatibility across platforms.
- Use the TXT output for scenarios where formatting and layout are not necessary.
- Avoid converting PDFs with complex formatting or important interactive elements when visual fidelity is required.
- Check the extracted text for completeness, especially if the PDF contains embedded annotations or forms.
Limitations
- All visual layout, styling, fonts, images, and non-text objects from the PDF are lost.
- Semantic structure and interactive elements like forms or annotations may not be preserved.
- Differences in character encoding and newline formats can cause interoperability issues.
- Large or richly formatted PDFs may not convert effectively into plain text format.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does converting PDF to TXT preserve the document's layout?
- No, converting to TXT removes all layout, styling, fonts, images, and non-text elements, leaving only plain text and line breaks.
- Can I edit the extracted TXT file in any text editor?
- Yes, TXT files are universally supported and editable in virtually all text editors and programming environments.
- Are interactive PDF elements like forms preserved after conversion?
- No, interactive elements such as forms, annotations, and digital signatures are typically lost or not preserved in the TXT format.
Key Terminology
- PDF (Portable Document Format)
- A fixed-layout document format that encapsulates text, fonts, graphics, and page layout for consistent rendering across platforms.
- TXT (Plain Text)
- An unformatted text file storing human-readable characters without styling or embedded objects, compatible with any text editor.
- Character Encoding
- A method of representing characters in text files, such as ASCII, UTF-8, or UTF-16, affecting interoperability.