First check whether the text is selectable
Try highlighting a sentence in your PDF reader and copying it into a text editor. If the sentence copies correctly, the PDF probably contains a usable text layer. If selecting the page behaves like selecting a picture, it may be a scan. Some scanned documents already include an OCR text layer, so appearance alone is not enough to decide.
Extract with Folio
Choose PDF to Text, upload one PDF and convert it. You receive a plain text file containing the extractable text from its pages. Inputs can be up to 10 MB and 50 pages. No account is needed. Text extraction preserves characters where possible; it does not preserve the visual layout of the PDF.
Clean up reading order
Columns, headers, footers and tables can appear in an unexpected order because a PDF stores drawing instructions rather than a word-processor outline. Compare a few passages against the original. For tables, inspect numbers and labels together; plain text does not guarantee that a value stays beside its column heading.
If the result is blank or incomplete
The document may contain image-only pages or unusual font encoding. OCR is the relevant next step for image-only material, but Folio’s OCR tools are coming soon. Do not treat missing extracted text as evidence that the source has no content. Keep the PDF and use an OCR-capable application if you need that text today.
Ready to put it into practice?
No account required. Keep your original and review your converted file.
Open PDF to Text →