PDF to Markdown and Text Converter
Pull the text out of a PDF as Markdown or plain text. Headings and lists are detected, and you can copy or download the result.
Select a PDF to convert
Click to browse or drag & drop a PDF document
How to Convert a PDF to Markdown or Text
Copying text out of a PDF often gives you broken lines and lost structure. This tool reads the text layer, rebuilds paragraphs and marks headings and lists so the result is easier to reuse.
- Upload your PDF: Click "Choose PDF File" or drop a PDF on the page. Pages are read one at a time.
- Pick a format and options: Choose Markdown or plain text, limit the pages if you want, and decide whether repeated headers and footers should be removed.
- Check the result: The text box updates as you change options. Scroll through it and look for headings and lists that were guessed wrongly.
- Copy or download: Copy the text to your clipboard or download it as a .md or .txt file.
Key Features
- Markdown or plain text: Keep headings and lists with Markdown, or get clean text without any markup.
- Structure detection: Headings come from font size, and bullets and numbered lines become list items.
- Cleaner paragraphs: Broken lines are joined, words split with a hyphen at the line end are put back together, and repeated headers, footers and page numbers can be removed.
- Page selection: Convert only the pages you need, such as 2-5 or 9-.
- Private by design: The PDF is processed in your browser and never uploaded.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can it convert a scanned PDF?
No. A scanned PDF is made of pictures and has no text to extract. You would need OCR software first. When no text is found, the tool tells you so.
How are headings and lists detected?
Headings are guessed from font size: text clearly larger than the main body text becomes a heading. Lines that start with a bullet or a number become list items. These are guesses, so check the result.
What happens to tables and columns?
Tables are not rebuilt. Their text appears as ordinary lines. Pages with several columns can come out in a mixed order because the tool reads each line from left to right.
Why do I get strange characters or missing words?
Some PDFs use custom fonts or store text as shapes. In that case the text layer can be incomplete or garbled, and no tool can read it reliably without OCR.
Which format should I choose, Markdown or plain text?
Choose Markdown if you want to keep headings and lists for a notes app, a wiki or a website. Choose plain text if you only need the words.
Is my PDF uploaded to a server?
No. The text is read inside your browser and your file never leaves your device. Only the PDF reader code is downloaded from a public library host when the page opens.