Upload a text-based PDF to review the extracted result here.
PDF to Markdown Converter
Extract editable Markdown from a PDF with selectable text. Your file stays in this browser; review the result before using it.
Extraction preview
Editable Markdown
Editable Markdown will appear here after extraction.
Choose a text-based PDF.
Text-based PDFs only; scanned files need OCR. Up to 10 MB and 50 pages. Tables, formulas, and multi-column layouts may need manual correction.
How to Convert PDF to Markdown
Choose a local PDF with selectable text, wait for extraction, and review the editable Markdown pane. Correct headings, spacing and reading order before copying the result or downloading a .md file. You can clear the workspace and select another document. Start with a short representative file if you are unsure whether your PDF contains a usable text layer.
PDF to Markdown Online
Use this free PDF to MD converter to recover editable text from a document without installing desktop software or creating an account. The file is read in your browser rather than uploaded for processing. The result is a draft for Markdown workflows, not a replica of the PDF's visual layout. Keep the original PDF when layout, signatures or page appearance matter.
Text PDF vs Scanned PDF
A text PDF normally lets you select and copy individual words. A scanned PDF may contain only photographed page images, even though the text looks readable on screen. This converter extracts the existing text layer and has no OCR. Image-only scans need a separate OCR step first. A scanned document with an existing OCR text layer may provide text, but its accuracy still needs review.
What PDF Content Can Be Converted?
Selectable paragraphs and ordinary text are the best fit. Page markers and heuristic headings help organize the extracted draft, but semantic heading levels cannot be recovered reliably from every PDF. Repeated lines at page edges may be removed as headers or footers. Images are not converted into Markdown image attachments, and tables are not reconstructed into guaranteed structured Markdown tables.
Limitations
Files must be no larger than 10 MB and contain no more than 50 pages. Protected PDFs, damaged files and documents without usable text may fail extraction. Multi-column layouts can have unexpected reading order; tables, formulas, hyphenation and line breaks may need manual correction. Do not assume the Markdown preserves every detail simply because the text extraction completed.
Common Uses
Recover notes from text-based reports, prepare documentation drafts, or move extracted paragraphs into a README or Markdown notebook. Edit the result here, then use Markdown Editor for a longer writing session. For a source Word document, Word to Markdown is often a better route because DOCX retains more document structure than PDF. Markdown to PDF provides the reverse output workflow.
PDF to Markdown FAQ
Is PDF to Markdown free?
Yes. Extract, review, copy and download Markdown without payment or signup.
Are PDF files uploaded to a server?
No. The PDF is parsed locally in this browser; it is not sent to a conversion server.
Can scanned PDFs be converted?
Only if they already contain usable text. There is no built-in OCR for image-only scanned pages.
Why did my PDF return no text?
The PDF may contain only page images, have a damaged or protected text layer, or expose no usable selectable text. This converter does not run OCR, so image-only scans need a separate OCR step first.
Does it preserve headings?
It generates heuristic headings and page markers. Check the levels and wording; PDF does not consistently expose Markdown-like structure.
Does it preserve tables?
Table text may be extracted, but rows and columns can lose alignment. Rebuild important tables manually.
Can I edit and download the Markdown?
Yes. Edit the result before copying it or downloading a .md file. The downloaded draft remains editable in other Markdown tools.