What's the difference between PDF and Text?

PDF is the universal document format. Plain text is the universal lowest common denominator — just characters, no formatting.

Why convert away from PDF?

PDF is the universal document format. Where it falls down: anywhere you need to edit the content after the fact (PDFs are read-mostly); single images that don't need pagination (use the image format directly). Text addresses that for most workflows.

When is Text the right format?

Text is a good choice for: copying content out of a PDF; feeding text into search, indexing, or LLM context; extracting tables and lists for further processing. It is a poor choice when preserving layout, fonts, or images.

Anything surprising about PDF or Text?

Browsers can render PDFs in-page — no plugin required since around 2015. And on the Text side: scanned PDFs need OCR before text extraction works — convert-core does not run OCR.

Does this work on mobile?

Yes. The drop zone falls back to your phone's file picker, and conversions run on-device just like desktop. Large files may be slower on mobile due to CPU and memory constraints, but the workflow is identical.

What's the maximum file size?

No hard limit — the browser handles it. Files under 50MB convert in a few seconds. Larger files work but may take longer as the browser allocates memory. If you hit issues, batch in smaller groups.

Convert PDF to Text

Convert PDF files to Text in your browser. Free, no upload, no signup.

Drop images to convert

PNG, JPG, WebP, AVIF, JPEG XL, TIFF, BMP, GIF, SVG, HDR, ICO — any combination

Files stay on your device. Open DevTools' Network tab to verify.

Output format

Text

Overview

Why convert PDF to Text

Text is a more practical choice than PDF for most modern workflows: copying content out of a PDF. Coming from PDF, the thing to know is that anywhere you need to edit the content after the fact (PDFs are read-mostly).

Comparison

PDF vs Text: what actually differs

PDF compared with Text across encoding, fidelity, file size and support.
Attribute	PDF	Text
Compression	Lossy or lossless	—
Transparency	Yes	No
Animation	No	No
Typical file size	Varies	Varies
Browser support	Every browser can display PDFs natively. PDF.js (built into Firefox and Edge) is the same engine that powers most in-page PDF viewers.	Universal.

How to

How to convert PDF to Text

01
Drop your PDF files
Drag one or more PDF files onto the dropzone above, or click to browse. Files stay on your device — nothing uploads.
02
Convert in your browser
convert.now decodes each PDF and re-encodes it as Text via WebAssembly. The conversion runs in a Web Worker so the page stays responsive.
03
Download the result
Download a single Text file or, for batch conversions, a zip of all converted files. Filenames preserve the originals.

Why here

Why convert.now

Private
Files stay in your browser. No upload step. Nothing for anyone to see.
Fast
No queue, no upload wait. Conversion starts the moment you drop a file.
Free
No ads. No file-count limit. No sign-up wall. Just the converter.

FAQ

PDF to Text: common questions

No. The conversion from PDF to Text runs entirely in your browser using WebAssembly. Files never leave your device. Open DevTools' Network tab if you'd like to verify — there are no network requests with file contents.

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Last updated 27 August 2026

Why convert PDF to Text

PDF vs Text: what actually differs

How to convert PDF to Text

Drop your PDF files

Convert in your browser

Download the result

Why convert.now

PDF to Text: common questions

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