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Extract specific pages or the text content of a PDF
Large files (over 50 MB) may take longer or run out of browser memory
About Extract Pages & Text
Pulls specific pages out of a PDF as a new, smaller PDF, or extracts the raw selectable text content as a plain text file. This is the tool for when you only need a portion of a larger document — pulling three relevant pages out of a 60-page report to send someone, or getting the plain text out of a document to paste into another program — rather than sharing or processing the whole file. If you need several separate output files from ranges of pages (rather than one file with a handful of pages picked out), or want to split a document into equal-sized chunks, Split PDF is the more direct tool for that — Extract is built around a single deliverable: one set of pages, or the text.
Upload your PDF, choose Pages or Text. For page extraction, click any page thumbnail to select or deselect it (or type a range/list directly if you'd rather not click through many pages) — selected pages are pulled out into one new PDF, in page order when you click thumbnails, or in the order you typed when you use a list such as 5,1,3. For text extraction, the selectable text of the pages you choose (all of them by default) is shown, ready to copy, and can be downloaded as a plain text file, with columns in reading order.
Text extraction reads columns in order, keeps tables as tab-separated cells and rebuilds paragraphs. It only works on PDFs with real, selectable text — a scanned document has no underlying text layer to extract, so the result will be empty for those. Run it through OCR PDF first if you're starting from a scan, which adds a real, searchable text layer that this tool can then pull from.
Watch: Extract Pages & Text in Action
- Can I extract plain text from a scanned PDF?
- Not directly — text extraction only works on PDFs with real, selectable text, and a scanned document has no underlying text layer to pull from. Run it through OCR PDF first to add a real, searchable text layer, then extract from that result.
- What's the difference between extracting pages and extracting text?
- Extracting pages pulls specific pages out as a new, smaller PDF — still a real PDF document. Extracting text pulls the underlying selectable text content out as a plain text file, with all formatting stripped.
- What's the difference between this and Split PDF?
- Extract is built around a single deliverable: one set of pages picked out, or the text content. Split PDF is for when you need several separate output files from ranges (or want to split into equal-sized chunks) — if you're producing multiple files, Split is the more direct tool; if you just need one set of pages or the text, use Extract.
- Can I click on pages to select them instead of typing page numbers?
- Yes — click any page thumbnail to select or deselect it, and the selection stays in sync with the text field either way. Clicking is usually faster for a handful of scattered pages; typing a range (like "3-8") is faster for a large contiguous block.
- Does the order I select pages in matter?
- No — extracted pages always come out in their original document order, regardless of the order you clicked or typed them in. If you need pages in a different order than the source document, use Organize PDF after extracting.
- Are my files uploaded anywhere?
- No — both page and text extraction run entirely in your browser, including generating the page thumbnails. Your PDF never leaves your device.
- Will text extraction preserve formatting like bold or bullet points?
- No — the output is plain text with all formatting, fonts, and layout stripped. If you need to preserve formatting, PDF to Word is a better fit for getting an editable document out of a PDF.
- What happens if I don't select any pages?
- The Extract Pages button stays available but produces an error if you try to run it with nothing selected — select at least one page (by clicking a thumbnail or typing a page number) before extracting.
- Can I choose pages that are not next to each other?
- Yes. Type a list separated by commas or semicolons, with ranges, such as 1, 3-5, 9, or click individual thumbnails. A trailing dash such as 5- means page 5 through to the last page.
- Does the extracted PDF keep bookmarks and form fields?
- Bookmarks that lead to the kept pages are carried across, and so are the form definitions for fields on those pages, so fillable forms stay fillable. Bookmarks that point to pages you dropped are not included.
- What does the text file look like?
- It is plain UTF-8 text. Each selected page begins with a marker line, --- Page N ---, then paragraphs separated by blank lines. Table rows use tabs between cells, a two-column page is read down the first column and then the second, and running headers and page numbers are kept.
- Why do I get a scanned-image message in Extract Text mode?
- None of the selected pages had selectable text, which usually means each page is a picture. The tool says so and links to OCR PDF. Run that first to add a text layer, then extract the text from the result.
- How is the output file named?
- Pages mode uses your file name, then -pages- and the lowest and highest selected page, such as report-pages-3-7.pdf. Selecting 1, 5 and 9 gives 1-9 in the name even though only three pages are inside. Text mode ends in -text.txt.
How to use Extract Pages & Text
Two buttons sit above the thumbnails once a PDF is dropped: Extract Pages and Extract Text. Select pages by clicking thumbnails, by using Select all, Odd pages, Even pages or Clear, or by typing into the box, for example 1, 3-5, 7. Clicking and typing stay in step with each other.
In Extract Pages mode an empty selection is refused; press Extract Pages and download a new PDF whose name carries the page range. In Extract Text mode an empty box means every page. Press Extract Text to read the result in a panel with a character count, press Copy, or download a .txt file. Each page's text is introduced by a line such as --- Page 3 ---.
When to use it
Sending only the relevant pages of a long report, lifting one signed page out of a bundle, or building an odd-pages-only or even-pages-only file from a duplex scan. Text mode suits quoting a clause in an email, pasting a table into a spreadsheet as tab-separated rows, or checking what a PDF's text layer really contains.
When not to use it
When you want several separate files, one per chapter or per range, Split PDF produces them in a single run. To reorder or delete pages inside the same document, Organize PDF is better. Text mode cannot read a scan: when the pages are only pictures, the tool sends you to OCR PDF first, and the text it returns is plain, with no fonts or images.
Tips for best results
The page box respects the order you type, so 5, 1, 3 gives a file that starts with page 5, while clicking thumbnails always yields page order. Repeating a number copies that page twice. Bookmarks that point to kept pages and the form fields on them travel along. In text mode, columns are read one after the other and table rows come out with tabs between cells, so a paste into a spreadsheet splits into columns.
Limitations
Text mode reads only a real text layer; pages that are pictures give a notice instead of output, and words inside images are not recognised. The result is plain text, so fonts, colours, images and exact positions are gone. Page numbers outside the document are rejected with a message. A password-protected PDF cannot be opened for either mode.
Privacy
Page extraction copies the chosen pages into a new document inside your tab. Text extraction reads the text layer with the PDF reader built into the page and writes it into a text box and a downloadable file created locally. Nothing is posted anywhere; the clipboard is touched only when you press Copy.
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