Convert PDF to Markdown

The converter uses Mozilla's pdf.js to read the text layer of your PDF directly in the browser. A PDF stores text as positioned runs rather than structured headings and paragraphs, so the tool measures font sizes and vertical spacing to reconstruct headings, paragraphs, and lists as Markdown. No part of the file is sent to a server.

Yes. The converter is completely free with no signup, no account, and no usage limits. Because the conversion runs in your browser rather than on a server, there is nothing to meter or charge for.

Yes. PDFs wrap their text in binary structure and layout data that adds noise when passed to large language models. Extracting the text as Markdown gives you clean, token-efficient plaintext: the same content in fewer tokens, which lowers cost and leaves more room in the context window. Markdown is also easier for an LLM like ChatGPT or Claude to parse and reference accurately than raw PDF output.

Yes. Retrieval-augmented generation pipelines work best on clean text. Converting a PDF to Markdown gives you well-structured plaintext that chunks and embeds more reliably than raw PDF bytes, so retrieval returns more relevant passages. Note that this tool extracts the embedded text only and does not preserve tables or images, so review the output before indexing.

No. Scanned documents are images of pages with no embedded text layer, so there is nothing for this tool to extract and it will report that no selectable text was found. This converter does not perform OCR. To pull text out of a scanned or image-only PDF, export a page as an image and use the Image to Text Converter, which runs OCR in your browser.

Yes. The conversion is privacy-first: it happens entirely in your browser using client-side JavaScript, so your PDF is read locally and never uploaded to any server. You can confirm in your browser's developer tools that the file itself is never sent over the network, which makes it safe to use with confidential documents.

The converter reconstructs headings, paragraphs, and ordered and unordered lists from the text layout. Because a PDF does not record document structure the way a Word file does, the result is a close approximation rather than an exact copy. Multi-column layouts, tables, and images are not reliably preserved. If you need a table rebuilt cleanly, the Markdown Table Generator can help.

If your source is a Word file rather than a PDF, use the Word to Markdown Converter, and for web content use the HTML to Markdown Converter. Once you have your Markdown, the Markdown Formatter standardizes spacing, fixes heading levels, and tidies up list indentation.