How to copy the text from a PDF
- Tap "Add a PDF" or drop it onto the box.
- The text appears, page by page.
- Tap Copy all, or Download to save a .txt file.
Good to know
This reads the typed text inside a PDF, the kind you can select with your mouse. It is instant and exact.
Scanned pages are pictures of text, so they have no typed text to read. The tool tells you which pages look scanned. Reading scans (OCR, which reads text from a picture) will be part of our paid plan.
Questions
Why is a page empty?
The page is probably a scan or a photo. It holds a picture of the text rather than the text itself.
Does it keep tables and columns?
Text is kept in reading order, line by line. Table columns are separated by spaces, not kept as a table.
Is my PDF uploaded?
No. The text is read by your browser on your device.
Page last reviewed 21 October 2026.