.pdf.txt
How to Convert PDF to TXT
To convert PDF to TXT, upload your PDF above, select TXT, and download the document's raw text with all formatting stripped away. This is the fastest way to extract content for searching, quoting, data processing, or pasting into other tools. Born-digital PDFs extract cleanly; scanned documents require OCR.
This page is part of the Document Converter hub, which covers every document format pair JoltFile supports.
Text extraction only — scanned PDFs made of page images yield no text.
In-browser document limit: 50 MB per file
Browser-based processing — your files never leave your device
Need files over 50 MB, batch conversion, or keyboard shortcuts?
JoltFile desktop appHow to convert PDF to TXT in 5 steps
The whole process takes under two minutes and requires no software installation or account. Your original PDF file is never modified.
Upload your PDF file
Drag your .pdf file onto the converter above, or click “Browse files” to select it from your device. Files are processed locally in your browser whenever possible — nothing is uploaded to a server.
Confirm the output format is TXT
The converter defaults to PDF → TXT on this page. If you dropped in a different file type, set the target format to TXT (.txt) using the format menu.
Adjust quality settings
Review the output options — page size, image quality, and whether to preserve the original layout as closely as possible.
Convert the file
Click “Convert”. JoltFile processes the file and shows a progress indicator — most document conversions finish in a few seconds.
Download your TXT file
Save the converted .txt file to your device. The original PDF file is never modified, and temporary data is discarded automatically.
What happens to quality when converting PDF to TXT?
All layout, fonts, and images are discarded — you get pure characters. Text order follows the PDF's internal reading order, which is usually correct for simple documents but can jumble multi-column layouts. Ligatures and special characters normalize to standard Unicode. Scanned pages yield nothing without OCR applied first.
When should you convert PDF to TXT?
- Extracting quotes and citations from PDF documents
- Feeding document text into search, AI, or data pipelines
- Stripping formatting before pasting into other apps
- Making PDF content greppable and scriptable
PDF vs TXT: format comparison
| Property | TXT | |
|---|---|---|
| File extension | .txt | |
| Full name | Portable Document Format | Plain Text |
| Compression | Mixed (text + compressed objects) | None (raw text) |
| MIME type | application/pdf | text/plain |
| Introduced | 1993, by Adobe (now ISO 32000) | 1960s (pre-standard), by Universal convention |
| Best for | Sharing finished documents, contracts, forms, and print | Extracting raw text, notes, logs, and data interchange |
About the PDF and TXT formats
What is PDF? (Portable Document Format)
PDF is the universal fixed-layout document format, created by Adobe in 1993 and now an open ISO standard (ISO 32000). A PDF preserves fonts, layout, and graphics identically on every device, which made it the default format for contracts, forms, reports, and print-ready files.
Strengths
- Pixel-identical rendering on every device
- Open ISO standard with free readers everywhere
- Supports forms, signatures, encryption, and print workflows
- The accepted standard for legal and official documents
Limitations
- Hard to edit — it's a final-form format
- Poor reflow on small screens
- Can bloat with embedded fonts and scans
What is TXT? (Plain Text)
TXT is the simplest document format that exists: raw characters with no formatting, fonts, or layout. Every device and operating system ever made can open a .txt file, making it the ultimate lowest-common-denominator for extracting and moving text.
Strengths
- Opens on literally everything
- Tiny file sizes
- No versioning or compatibility issues, ever
- Perfect for piping text between tools
Limitations
- No formatting, fonts, images, or structure
- Encoding issues (UTF-8 vs legacy) can mangle characters
- Not a document format so much as raw data
PDF to TXT conversion: your questions answered
Why is my extracted text in the wrong order?
PDF stores text as positioned fragments, not flowing paragraphs. Multi-column layouts, sidebars, and text boxes can extract out of sequence. Single-column documents almost always extract in correct reading order.
Can I extract text from a scanned PDF?
Only with OCR — a scan is an image, and there's no text layer to extract. Good OCR on clean scans reaches 99%+ accuracy; noisy scans need manual correction.
Does PDF to TXT keep tables?
Table text extracts, but the grid structure flattens to plain lines. For structured table data, convert to a format that preserves structure (or copy tables individually) rather than plain text.
Is it free to convert PDF to TXT with JoltFile?
Yes. JoltFile's free tier covers everyday PDF to TXT conversions with no account and no watermarks. Higher file-size limits and batch processing are planned for the upcoming Pro tier.
Is my PDF file private when I convert it?
Yes. JoltFile is designed around browser-based processing: whenever technically possible your file is converted locally on your own device and never uploaded to a server. Files that do require server processing are encrypted in transit and deleted automatically after conversion.
FAQ provided by JoltFile.