File Converters

How to Convert DOCX to Unicode Text

You have a batch of DOCX files — contracts, reports, form letters — and you need the raw text out of them. Maybe you are feeding text to a search index, importing it into a database, or cleaning up content for a CMS. Microsoft Word can "Save As" plain text, but only one file at a time, and it defaults to ANSI encoding that drops every non-Latin character. Total Doc Converter exports DOCX to Unicode text (UTF-8 or UTF-16) in batch, preserving every glyph — Arabic, Chinese, Cyrillic, accented Latin, emoji — without manual re-encoding.

Why Unicode Text?

DOCX

DOCX is a ZIP archive of XML files. It stores text together with fonts, styles, images, tables, headers, and footers. Formatting information accounts for most of the file size. When you only need the text — for indexing, data extraction, or migration — the DOCX wrapper is unnecessary overhead.

Unicode TXT

A Unicode text file contains only characters and line breaks. It opens in any editor on any operating system. UTF-8 is the standard encoding for web applications, databases, and APIs. UTF-16 is preferred by some legacy Windows tools. Both encodings support every writing system — no more garbled characters when a file is opened on a different locale.

What Total Doc Converter Can Do

Batch conversion — select hundreds of DOCX files (or entire folder trees) and convert them to Unicode TXT in one run.
Encoding choice — output as UTF-8 or UTF-16. The converter writes the correct BOM (Byte Order Mark) automatically.
Combine into one file — merge text from multiple DOCX documents into a single TXT file with file-name separators.
Strip formatting cleanly — tables are converted to tab-separated values, headers and footers are included or excluded by your choice.
Multi-format input — the same tool also converts DOC, RTF, ODT, TXT, and HTML to Unicode text.
Digital signatures — if the source DOCX is signed, Total Doc Converter verifies the signature before processing.

How to Convert DOCX to Unicode Text — Step by Step

Step 1. Select DOCX Files

Launch Total Doc Converter. The folder tree on the left shows your drives and directories. Navigate to the folder with your DOCX files. Tick individual files or check the folder to select everything inside it.

Step 2. Choose TXT as the Target Format

Click the TXT button in the format bar at the top. The settings wizard opens.

Step 3. Set Unicode Encoding

In the wizard, choose Unicode (UTF-8) or Unicode (UTF-16) as the encoding. Specify the destination folder. If you want all texts merged into one file, enable the Combine files option.

Step 4. Click Start

Press Start. The converter processes every selected file, strips formatting, and writes plain text with the chosen Unicode encoding. A log shows the result for each file.

Total Doc Converter — select DOCX files for Unicode text export

Command-Line Conversion

Total Doc Converter includes a command-line interface for scripting and automation. A typical command:

DocConverter.exe "C:\Contracts\*.docx" "C:\Output\" -cTXT -oUTF8

Parameters: source path (wildcards supported), destination folder, -cTXT sets target format, -oUTF8 sets encoding. Save this in a .bat file and schedule it with Windows Task Scheduler to run nightly or on demand. Total Doc Converter X (server edition) adds ActiveX support for integration into web applications and document workflows without a GUI.

Online Converters vs Total Doc Converter

Feature	Online Converter	Total Doc Converter
Batch conversion (100+ files)	No — most accept one file at a time	Yes — unlimited files and folders
Unicode encoding choice	Usually only UTF-8, no control	UTF-8 or UTF-16 with BOM
Combine output into one file	No	Yes
Table handling	Stripped or garbled	Tab-separated values
Command line / automation	No	Yes — CLI + .bat scripting
File size limit	Typically 10–50 MB	No limit
Privacy	Files uploaded to a third-party server	100% offline — files never leave your PC
Multilingual accuracy	Varies — encoding errors common	Correct BOM, tested with CJK, Arabic, Cyrillic

Why Choose Total Doc Converter?

True Unicode output

The converter writes a proper BOM header and uses the encoding you choose. Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Arabic, Hebrew, Cyrillic, and accented Latin characters survive the conversion without substitution or question marks.

Clean text extraction

Tables become tab-separated rows. Bullet lists become plain lines. Headers and footers are either included or stripped — your choice. The output is ready for import into a database, search engine, or text-processing pipeline.

Works with more than DOCX

The same tool handles DOC, RTF, ODT, DOCM, HTML, and TXT. If you receive documents in mixed formats, Total Doc Converter normalizes them all to Unicode text in one batch.

Runs unattended on a server

Total Doc Converter X is the server edition. It runs as a background process with no GUI, accepts commands via ActiveX or command line, and processes files around the clock. Ideal for document ingestion pipelines, helpdesk systems, or archival workflows.

When Do You Need DOCX to Unicode Text Conversion?

Full-text search indexing — extract raw text from thousands of DOCX files and feed it to Elasticsearch, Solr, or a custom search engine.
Database import — pull text out of contracts, invoices, or form letters and load it into SQL tables for analysis.
CMS migration — move content written in Word into a web CMS that accepts plain text or Markdown.
Multilingual content processing — extract text from DOCX files in Arabic, Chinese, or Russian without losing characters to encoding errors.
E-discovery and compliance — convert large document collections to searchable text for legal review.

Download the free 30-day trial — no email or credit card required. A personal license costs $49.90 and includes one year of free upgrades. Works on Windows 7/8/10/11.

Download Free Trial Buy License — $49.90

Total Doc Converter Customer Reviews 2026

Rate ItRated 4.7/5 based on customer reviews

"We index product descriptions that arrive as DOCX files from hundreds of suppliers. Total Doc Converter extracts the text to UTF-8 in batch — 2,000 files in about three minutes. The output plugs straight into our Elasticsearch pipeline. Before this tool we had a Python script that choked on Asian characters."

5 Star Martin Lindqvist Search Engineer, E-Commerce Company

"Client declarations come in as DOCX in Spanish, Portuguese, and Haitian Creole. I convert them to Unicode text for our case management database. Every accent and special character survives. The combine option is handy — I merge all declarations for one case into a single text file for the attorney to review."

5 Star Rebecca Torres Paralegal, Immigration Law Firm

"Translators submit files in DOCX, DOC, and RTF. I normalize everything to UTF-8 text before feeding it to our CAT tool. Total Doc Converter handles all three formats in one batch. The command-line mode runs on our server every night via Task Scheduler. Japanese, Chinese, and Korean text comes through without issues."

4 Star Kenji Watanabe IT Administrator, Translation Agency

FAQ ▼

How do I convert DOCX to Unicode text?

Install Total Doc Converter, select your DOCX files in the folder tree, click the TXT button, choose UTF-8 or UTF-16 encoding, set the destination folder, and click Start. All selected files are converted to Unicode text in one batch.

What is the difference between UTF-8 and UTF-16?

Both encodings represent the full Unicode character set. UTF-8 uses 1–4 bytes per character and is the standard for web, Linux, and modern databases. UTF-16 uses 2 or 4 bytes and is common in older Windows applications. Total Doc Converter writes the correct BOM (Byte Order Mark) for either option.

Can I convert hundreds of DOCX files at once?

Yes. Total Doc Converter works in batch mode. Select an entire folder — or a folder tree with subfolders — and every DOCX file is converted in one run. There is no file-count limit.

Can I merge all DOCX texts into a single TXT file?

Yes. Enable the 'Combine files' option in the settings wizard. The converter appends text from each DOCX file into one output TXT file, separated by file-name markers.

Does the converter handle tables and formatting?

Tables are exported as tab-separated values — one row per line, columns separated by tabs. Bullet lists become plain lines. Headers, footers, and images are stripped unless you choose to include header/footer text.

Is there a command-line version?

Yes. Total Doc Converter includes a command-line interface. Write a one-line command with source path, destination, format, and encoding. Save it in a .bat file for scheduled or automated runs. The server edition (Total Doc Converter X) adds ActiveX support.

Can I try the converter before buying?

Yes. The free trial runs for 30 days with full functionality. No email address or credit card is required. A personal license costs $49.90.

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