# Extract PDF text

> Copy existing text out of a PDF document.

[Open tool](https://www.toolcabana.com/ca/pdf-to-text) · [PDF i documents](https://www.toolcabana.com/ca/category/pdf-and-documents)

Tool ID: pdf-to-text. Requested language: ca. Description language: en. Complete guide translation: no; untranslated sections use English.

## Overview (en)

Extract PDF text copies the existing text layer out of a PDF as plain text that you can copy or download as document.txt. You can extract all pages or a selection such as 1,3-5, up to 200 pages per run, with pages separated by blank lines. Scanned pages without a text layer need OCR first.

## Supported tasks (en)

Copy existing text out of a PDF document.

## Steps (en)

1. Choose a source file. If the tool accepts multiple files, arrange them in the order you want.
2. Set pages (blank = all; e.g. 1,3-5).
3. Run extract pdf text, review the output, then use the available copy or download controls.

## Settings

- Pages (blank = all; e.g. 1,3-5) (en; key: pages; type: text)

## Limitations (en)

PDF input is bounded to 20 MB per file. Page rendering is capped at 200 selected pages; page-edit output is bounded to 500 pages.

## Privacy and connections (en)

This operation processes its source in your browser. Copy and download are explicit actions; source input is not saved in an account or history.

## Questions (en)

### Why is the extracted text empty for my scanned PDF?

A scanned PDF stores pages as images, so there is no text layer to copy. Run the file through an OCR tool to add recognized text, then extract it again.

### Why does text from a two-column PDF come out in the wrong order?

The tool reads text items in the order the PDF stores them, so multi-column layouts can interleave lines from different columns. Review and correct the reading order for documents with columns or complex layouts.

### Can I extract text from only some pages of a PDF?

Yes. Enter page numbers and ranges such as 2,5-9 in the pages field. Leave it blank to extract every page; each run handles up to 200 selected pages.

### Where is my input processed?

This operation processes its source in your browser. Copy and download are explicit actions; source input is not saved in an account or history.

### What are the input limits?

PDF input is bounded to 20 MB per file. Page rendering is capped at 200 selected pages; page-edit output is bounded to 500 pages.

## Related tools

- [Image to text OCR](https://www.toolcabana.com/ca/image-to-text)