Extract text from a PDF in the correct reading order

Extracts text column by column so two-column and three-column PDFs are read correctly. Ideal for scientific articles, newspapers and magazines. Free and local.

Choose your PDF

Drop here or click to choose

Files stay on your device — nothing is uploaded

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Your file is processed in your browser and never uploaded.

How does it work?

1
Choose your PDF
Drag the PDF here.
2
Choose the number of columns
Specify how many text columns your document has (1, 2 or 3).
3
Download
Download the text as a .txt file in the correct reading order.

Frequently asked questions

Why does the regular text export have the wrong order?

PDF viewers store text in the order it was placed, not in visual reading order. With two columns, the right column sometimes runs through the left.

Does this work on scanned PDFs?

No. Scanned PDFs have no text layer. Use the OCR tool first.

Are my files uploaded?

No. Everything happens in your own browser. Your file never leaves your device and is not stored anywhere.

Is it free?

Yes, completely free, without watermark or account. The site is paid for by ads.

Why in the browser?

PDFrust runs entirely in your browser using WebAssembly and modern JavaScript libraries such as pdf-lib and PDF.js. Your file is never sent to a server — all processing happens locally on your device. This means your documents remain private by design, regardless of what they contain. There is no account required, no file size limit, and nothing is stored after you close the tab.