How to Convert PDF to Plain Text – DIY Method
Summary: PDF files are widely used for sharing documents, but extracting plain text from them can sometimes be tricky. Whether you need to copy text for editing or analysis purpose, converting a PDF to plain text is a useful skill. Fortunately, you don’t need to put additional effort to convert your PSF file into plain text—there are several DIY methods that allow you to extract text easily. In this blog, we’ll explore simple ways including DRS PDF Converter Tool to convert pdf to plain text using built-in tools, free software, and online converters.
Understanding the Purpose to Convert PDF to Text File
PDFs are great for preserving document formatting, but they can be restrictive when it comes to editing or extracting content. Converting a PDF to a text file makes it easier to manipulate, analyze, or repurpose the data without worrying about complex layouts or embedded images. Hence, user frequently want to convert pdf to plain text.
Here are some key reasons why converting PDFs to text is useful:
- Easy Editing – Plain text files can be modified without the need for specialized PDF editing software.
- Data Extraction – Extract important information from reports, invoices, or research papers for further processing.
- Compatibility – Text files are universally supported across different devices and software.
- Lightweight and Fast – Unlike PDFs, plain text files take up less storage and open quickly.
- Improved Accessibility – Screen readers and assistive tools can easily process text files for visually impaired users.
Whether you need to edit content, extract data, or improve accessibility, converting PDFs to text offers a simple yet effective solution. Now, let us explore some effective methods to convert PDF files to plain text files.
How to Convert PDF to Plain Text
There are several ways to convert PDFs into plain text files, depending on your preferences, the tools available to you, and the complexity of the PDF content. Here are some of the most effective methods to convert pdf to text document:
Manual Methods to Convert PDF to Text File
Automated tools and software can make the conversion process faster, sometimes a more hands-on approach is necessary. Manual methods allow you to extract the content from a PDF with precision, especially when dealing with simple documents. Here are a few straightforward ways you can manually convert pdf to plain text file.
Way 01: Use Adobe Acrobat to Convert PDF File to Plain Text File
- Firstly, you should open Adobe Acrobat in your system.
- Now, click on the File button and select the Open
- Go to the location of the desired PDF file. Select it and press Open.
- It will open the required PDF file in Adobe Acrobat.
- After that, click on the File button and select the Save As Text option.

- Now, define a suitable saving location and hit the Save button.
After performing the above procedure, you can easily convert your PDF file into a plain text file. But if you do not have Adobe Acrobat installed on your PC, you can adopt another procedure.
Way 02: Convert PDF to Plain Text via MS Word
- Go to the location of the desired PDF file.
- Right-click on the desired file and choose the Open with
- Select MS Word It will open the file in MS Word.
- Now, click on the File button and choose the Save As
- Give a suitable name and location to the file accordingly.

- Expand the Save as Type field and select the Plain text option.
- Hit the Save button to save the PDF document as a plain text file.

Way 03: Use Copy and Paste Method to Convert PDF to Plain Text
- Open the desired PDF file you want to convert.
- Now, press the Ctrl+A to select the complete file content.
- After that, press Ctrl+C to copy this content.
- Now, open the Notepad Press Ctrl+V to paste the entire content.
- After that, click on the File button and select the Save.
- Assign a suitable name and location to the resultant file.
- At last, hit the Save button to save the text file.
By adopting any of the above methods, you can easily convert your PDF to plain text online free. These are manual solutions that are free of cost. Along with that, they require minimum technical knowledge to change the PDF file into TXT file format.
However, if you want to convert multiple PDF files into a txt file format, these methods are not recommended. Also, you can only convert your PDF file into a few limited file types by adopting the above manual procedures. Therefore, we suggest you an advanced, versatile, and effective tool to convert your PDF files.
Advanced Solution to Convert PDF to Plain Text
DRS PDF Converter Tool is the simple and best utility to convert any number of PDF files to plain text files at once. Along with that, the application enables you to convert PDF to various file types such as DOC, HTML, XML, EML, MSG, RTF, JPEG, PNG, GIF, BMP, and many other file formats. It has a very simple and interactive GUI. Moreover, you can download and use the PDF converter on any version of Windows OS. Here are some additional key features that make it stand out:
- Supports Batch Conversion – Convert multiple PDFs to text files at once.
- High Accuracy – Maintains the integrity of the text without losing formatting.
- Customizable Output – Choose specific pages or sections for conversion.
- OCR Capabilities – Extract text from scanned or image-based PDFs.
- User-Friendly Interface – Easy-to-navigate with no technical skills required.
- Secure and Private – Ensures that your files remain safe and confidential.
- Multiple File Formats – Convert PDFs to various formats like TXT, DOCX, and RTF.
How to Convert PDF to Plain Text via DRS PDF Converter Tool
- Download and install the DRS PDF Converter Tool.
- Click on the Add File button to add desired PDF files.
- Choose desired files from your system and press the Open
- After that, the file has been added. Check the file >> Next.
- In the next panel, choose TXT as the saving format of PDF file.
- Now, choose the destination file type in the Select Save As.
- Select the additional options according to the requirement.
- Click on the Convert button to convert pdf to plaintext document.
Conclusion
Converting a PDF to a plain text file doesn’t have to be complicated. Whether you choose to use built-in tools, online converters, or even manual methods, each approach has its advantages depending on your needs. For quick and simple conversions, online tools and built-in applications work wonders. For more advanced tasks or batch processing, recommended software is more efficient. Ultimately, the method you choose will depend on the complexity of the PDF and how much control you need over the final output. Now, with these DIY methods at your disposal, you can easily convert PDF to plain text and get the information you need, hassle-free.
Related Post: Convert PDF File to XML.
About The Author:
Shivam is a digital marketer and technical content writer at DRS Solution®, specializing in topics like databases, email recovery, and migration solutions. He enjoys researching and crafting content that assists database administrators, businesses, and beginners in resolving various issues related to MS SQL, MySQL, and Microsoft Exchange.