Extract Text from a PDF
Fast, near-instant text extraction for PDFs that already have a real text layer - no OCR needed.
Pull the Text Out of Your PDF
Get instant text extraction with our desktop version - one-time purchase, lifetime access.
Get PDF Compresso - £24.99 (one-time)How It Works
For each page, PDF Compresso reads the PDF's existing text layer and joins it together, with page breaks clearly marked. There's no recognition engine involved, so it's near-instant even on longer documents.
Output Options
Copy the extracted text to your clipboard, or download it as a plain .txt file.
How This Differs From OCR
Extract Text is for PDFs that already have selectable, searchable text - it just reads what's already there, so it's fast. OCR (Optical Character Recognition) is for scanned or image-only PDFs with no text layer at all - it's slower because it has to visually recognize each character, but it works where Extract Text can't.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is this different from OCR?
Extract Text reads the PDF's existing, real text layer - it's near-instant since no recognition is needed. OCR is slower but works on scanned or image-only PDFs that have no text layer at all.
What if the extracted text comes back empty?
If the result is empty or garbled, your PDF likely has no real text layer - it's a scan or image. Use the OCR tool instead for those files.
Does this preserve formatting?
Extract Text pulls the raw text content with page breaks marked - it's designed for getting the words out quickly, not for preserving layout or formatting.