Logo
Home Products Support Contact About Us
arrow1 File Converters
arrow1 TIFF and PDF apps
arrow1 Forensic
arrow1 Freeware

How to convert PDF to Text

 

Do you have a PDF file that you need to convert to text? If so, you're in luck! In this guide, we will show you how to convert PDF to text using CoolUtils' converter. We will also discuss some of the benefits of converting your PDF files to text. So without further ado, let's get started!

Quick answer: To convert PDF to text with the CoolUtils PDF converter, download and install the program, launch it and select the PDF file you want to convert, choose Text (TXT) as the output format, then click the convert button. Your editable, searchable text file is saved locally on your computer, with no upload and no file-size limit.

How to convert PDF to text step by step

To convert PDF to text with CoolUtils, simply follow these easy steps:

pdf converter

 

  • Step One: Download and install the converter onto your computer.
  • Step Two: Launch the converter and select the PDF file that you wish to convert.
  • Step Three: Choose the output format as text.
  • Step Four: Click on the convert button and wait for the conversion to be completed.
  • Step Five: Once the conversion is done, you can now open and view your newly converted text file!

 

download XPS converter

There are many benefits of converting PDF to text. For one, it allows you to edit your PDF files much more easily. You can also search through your document for specific keywords or phrases much more quickly when it is in text format. Additionally, converting your PDF files to text can help to save space on your computer or other devices.

We hope that this guide has been helpful in showing you how to convert PDF to text using CoolUtils' converter! If you have any further questions, feel free to reach out to our support team for assistance. Thanks for choosing CoolUtils!


quote

Total PDF Converter X Customer Reviews 2026

Rate It
Rated 4.7/5 based on customer reviews
5 Star

"We archive thousands of scanned contracts as PDF and needed plain text for our e-discovery indexer. Total PDF Converter X runs entirely from the command line, so we scheduled a nightly Cmd job that drops TXT files into the same folder structure as the source PDFs. No GUI, no wizard, nothing to click through on the server."

5 Star Daniel Kershaw Legal Operations Manager, Regional Law Firm

"The console-only design is exactly what we needed for a locked-down server with no interactive login. One Cmd call converts a folder of lecture-note PDFs to searchable, editable text files, and we chained it into our existing batch scripts without installing any extra automation layer."

5 Star Marta Nowicka Systems Administrator, University IT Department

"Clients hand me PDF exports from old case-management systems and I need clean TXT for re-import. The command-line-only mode took a bit of reading to get the switches right, but once set up it converts hundreds of files locally with no upload and no size cap. Works reliably in unattended mode."

4 Star Ben Okafor Data Migration Consultant, Freelance

PDF to Text — FAQ ▼

How do I convert PDF to text?

Install the CoolUtils PDF converter, launch it, and select the PDF file you want to convert. Choose Text (TXT) as the output format and click the convert button. The program extracts the text layer and saves an editable TXT file on your computer.

Can I convert PDF to text in batch?

Yes. Select several PDF files at once and the converter processes the entire batch in a single run. For unattended use, Total PDF Converter X can convert whole folders of PDFs to text from the command line and scheduled .bat scripts.

Is converting PDF to text free?

You can convert PDF to text during the fully functional 30-day trial with no email or credit card required. After the trial, a one-time license keeps the converter active for continued use.

Does PDF to text conversion keep the text searchable and editable?

Yes. The output is plain text you can open in any text editor, edit freely, and search for specific keywords or phrases. This is what makes a TXT file far easier to reuse than the original fixed-layout PDF.

How do I convert PDF to text without Acrobat?

The CoolUtils converter reads the PDF text layer with its own engine, so you do not need Adobe Acrobat or any PDF reader installed. Just install the converter, pick the PDF, and choose Text output.

Can I convert PDF to text from the command line?

Yes. Total PDF Converter X runs from cmd.exe or PowerShell. Call PDFConverter.exe with your source files, an output folder, and -c TXT, then save the command in a .bat file and schedule it with Windows Task Scheduler.

Why does the converted text lose formatting?

Plain text holds words, not layout. Columns, fonts, and positioning are not part of the TXT format, so the converter extracts the readable content rather than the page design. If you need layout preserved, convert to DOC, HTML, or XLS instead.

 

Start working now!

Download free trial and convert your files in minutes.
No credit card or email required.

⬇ Download Free Trial Windows 7/8/10/11 • 159 MB

Examples of Total PDF Converter X

Convert PDF files with Total PDF Converter X and .NET


string src  = @"C:\test\Source.pdf";
string dest = @"C:\test\Dest.docx";

var cnv = new PDFConverterX();
cnv.Convert(src, dest, "-cDOC -log c:\\test\\PDF.log");

if (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(cnv.ErrorMessage))
    throw new Exception(cnv.ErrorMessage);

Convert PDF files on web servers with Total PDF Converter X

public static class Function1
    {
        [FunctionName("Function1")]
        public static async Task Run(
            [HttpTrigger(AuthorizationLevel.Anonymous, "get", "post", Route = null)] HttpRequest req,
            ILogger log)
        {
            StringBuilder sbLogs = new StringBuilder();
            sbLogs.AppendLine("started...");
            try
            {
                ProcessStartInfo startInfo = new ProcessStartInfo();
                startInfo.CreateNoWindow = true;
                startInfo.UseShellExecute = false;
                var assemblyDirectoryPath = Path.GetDirectoryName(Assembly.GetExecutingAssembly().Location);
                assemblyDirectoryPath = assemblyDirectoryPath.Substring(0, assemblyDirectoryPath.Length - 4);

                var executablePath = $@"{assemblyDirectoryPath}\Converter\PDFConverterX.exe";
                sbLogs.AppendLine(executablePath + "...");
                var srcPath = $@"{assemblyDirectoryPath}\src\sample.pdf";
                var outPath = Path.GetTempFileName() + ".docx";
                startInfo.FileName = executablePath;

                if (File.Exists(outPath))
                {
                    File.Delete(outPath);
                }

                if (File.Exists(executablePath) && File.Exists(srcPath))
                {
                    sbLogs.AppendLine("files exists...");
                }
                else
                    sbLogs.AppendLine("EXE & source files NOT exists...");
                startInfo.WindowStyle = ProcessWindowStyle.Hidden;
                startInfo.Arguments = $"\"{srcPath}\" \"{outPath}\" -cDOC";
                using (Process exeProcess = Process.Start(startInfo))
                {
                    sbLogs.AppendLine($"wait...{DateTime.Now.ToString()}");
                    exeProcess.WaitForExit();
                    sbLogs.AppendLine($"complete...{DateTime.Now.ToString()}");
                }
                sbLogs.AppendLine("Conversion complete.");
            }
            catch (Exception ex)
            {
                sbLogs.AppendLine(ex.ToString());
            }

            return new OkObjectResult(sbLogs);
        }
    }
More information about Azure Functions.

Convert PDF files on web servers with Total PDF Converter X

dim C
Set C=CreateObject("PDFConverter.PDFConverterX")
C.Convert "c:\test\source.pdf", "c:\test\dest.docx", "-cDOC -log c:\test\PDF.log"
Response.Write C.ErrorMessage
set C = nothing

Stream the resulting document directly from ASP

dim C
Set C=CreateObject("PDFConverter.PDFConverterX")
Response.Clear
Response.AddHeader "Content-Type", "binary/octet-stream"
Response.AddHeader "Content-Disposition", "attachment; filename=test.docx"
Response.BinaryWrite C.ConvertToStream("C:\www\ASP\Source.pdf", "C:\www\ASP", "-cDOC -log c:\html.log")
set C = nothing

Convert PDF files with PHP and Total PDF Converter X

$src="C:\\test\\test.pdf";
$dest="C:\\test\\test.docx";
if (file_exists($dest)) unlink($dest);
$c= new COM("PDFConverter.PDFConverterX");
$c->convert($src,$dest, "-cDOC -log c:\\test\\PDF.log");
if (file_exists($dest)) echo "OK"; else echo "fail:".$c->ErrorMessage;

Convert PDF files with Total PDF Converter X and Ruby

require 'win32ole'
c = WIN32OLE.new('PDFConverter.PDFConverterX')

src = "C:\\test\\test.pdf"
dest = "C:\\test\\test.docx"

c.convert(src, dest, "-cDOC -log c:\\test\\PDF.log")

if not File.exist?(dest)
  puts c.ErrorMessage
end

Convert PDF files with Total PDF Converter X and Python

import win32com.client
import os.path

c = win32com.client.Dispatch("PDFConverter.PDFConverterX")

src  = "C:\\test\\test.pdf"
dest = "C:\\test\\test.docx"

c.convert(src, dest, "-cDOC -log c:\\test\\PDF.log")

if not os.path.exists(dest):
    print(c.ErrorMessage)

Convert PDF files with Pascal and Total PDF Converter X

uses Dialogs, Vcl.OleAuto;

var
  c: OleVariant;
begin
  c := CreateOleObject('PDFConverter.PDFConverterX');
  c.Convert('c:\test\source.pdf', 'c:\test\dest.docx', '-cDOC -log c:\test\PDF.log');
  if c.ErrorMessage <> '' then
    ShowMessage(c.ErrorMessage);
end;

Convert PDF files on web servers with Total PDF Converter X

var c = new ActiveXObject("PDFConverter.PDFConverterX");
c.Convert("C:\\test\\source.pdf", "C:\\test\\dest.docx", "-cDOC");
if (c.ErrorMessage != "")
  alert(c.ErrorMessage)

Convert PDF files with Total PDF Converter X and Perl

use Win32::OLE;

my $src  = "C:\\test\\test.pdf";
my $dest = "C:\\test\\test.docx";

my $c = CreateObject Win32::OLE 'PDFConverter.PDFConverterX';
$c->convert($src, $dest, "-cDOC -log c:\\test\\PDF.log");
print $c->ErrorMessage if -e $dest;

Friday Sale
Total PDF Converter X Preview1

Latest News

Newsletter Subscribe

No worries, we don't spam.


© 2026. All rights reserved. CoolUtils File Converters

Cards