Extract text from a text-based or scanned PDF
If you can select text in the PDF, it has a text layer. A scan can contain only an image of the words, so recognition is needed. The panel above handles both through PDF to Markdown, returning editable text with Markdown structure.
How to get the text you need
- Upload the PDF, sign in and start conversion. Credits apply.
- Read the Markdown beside the original PDF. Compare reading order, names, numbers and the last section.
- Copy the result or download the .md file.
- If you need unformatted text, remove heading, list, link and table markers in a text editor and save as .txt.
Renaming .md to .txt alone does not remove formatting markers. For example, ## Results remains that exact line until you edit it. Keep the markers when you want searchable text that still distinguishes sections.
Check extraction before reusing it
Scans, columns and merged table cells can introduce errors or change reading order. Verify exact values before analysis, translation or quotation. This workflow extracts content; it does not preserve page layout or add a searchable text layer to the original PDF.
For a full explanation of the intermediate format, see PDF to Markdown. The PDF text extraction guide helps distinguish selectable text from OCR.