Convert PDF to Plain Text

Turn PDF, the fixed-layout document format that looks the same on every device, into Plain Text, clean plain text with all markup stripped away. FileChanger runs the document conversion in one call, no local tooling to install.

In the browser

Upload a file and download the result, no pipeline required. Open the converter.

One API call

POST the file with from=pdf and to=plain, get the converted bytes back. Jump to the code.

From an agent

FileChanger ships an MCP server, so agents can run this conversion themselves. See the docs for setup.

Convert PDF to Plain Text in code

The same call from any language: POST the file to /api/convert, the response body is the converted file.

curl -X POST https://filechanger.io/api/convert \
  -H "X-Api-Key: fc_your_api_key_here" \
  -F "file=@input.pdf" \
  -F "from=pdf" \
  -F "to=plain" \
  -o output.txt

import requests

with open("input.pdf", "rb") as f:
    response = requests.post(
        "https://filechanger.io/api/convert",
        headers={"X-Api-Key": "fc_your_api_key_here"},
        files={"file": f},
        data={"from": "pdf", "to": "plain"},
    )

response.raise_for_status()
with open("output.txt", "wb") as out:
    out.write(response.content)

const formData = new FormData();
formData.append("file", fileInput.files[0]);
formData.append("from", "pdf");
formData.append("to", "plain");

const response = await fetch("https://filechanger.io/api/convert", {
  method: "POST",
  headers: { "X-Api-Key": "fc_your_api_key_here" },
  body: formData,
});

const output = await response.blob();

import java.net.http.HttpRequest.BodyPublishers;
import java.net.http.HttpResponse.BodyHandlers;
import java.nio.file.Path;

String boundary = "----FormBoundary" + System.currentTimeMillis();
byte[] fileBytes = java.nio.file.Files.readAllBytes(Path.of("input.pdf"));

String body = "--" + boundary + "\r\n"
    + "Content-Disposition: form-data; name=\"file\"; filename=\"input.pdf\"\r\n"
    + "Content-Type: application/octet-stream\r\n\r\n"
    + new String(fileBytes) + "\r\n"
    + "--" + boundary + "\r\nContent-Disposition: form-data; name=\"from\"\r\n\r\npdf\r\n"
    + "--" + boundary + "\r\nContent-Disposition: form-data; name=\"to\"\r\n\r\nplain\r\n"
    + "--" + boundary + "--";

HttpClient client = HttpClient.newHttpClient();
HttpRequest request = HttpRequest.newBuilder()
    .uri(URI.create("https://filechanger.io/api/convert"))
    .header("X-Api-Key", "fc_your_api_key_here")
    .header("Content-Type", "multipart/form-data; boundary=" + boundary)
    .POST(BodyPublishers.ofString(body))
    .build();

HttpResponse<byte[]> response = client.send(
    request, BodyHandlers.ofByteArray());
java.nio.file.Files.write(Path.of("output.txt"), response.body());

import Network.HTTP.Client
import Network.HTTP.Client.MultipartFormData
import qualified Data.ByteString.Lazy as BL

main :: IO ()
main = do
  manager <- newManager defaultManagerSettings
  initialReq <- parseRequest "POST https://filechanger.io/api/convert"
  let req = initialReq
        { requestHeaders = [("X-Api-Key", "fc_your_api_key_here")] }
  request <- formDataBody
    [ partFileSource "file" "input.pdf"
    , partBS "from" "pdf"
    , partBS "to" "plain"
    ] req

  response <- httpLbs request manager
  BL.writeFile "output.txt" (responseBody response)

About PDF

PDF is the fixed-layout document format that renders identically on every device, which is why it is the standard for invoices, papers, forms, and anything meant to be printed or archived. It is a publishing target rather than an editing format.

About Plain Text

Plain text is the universal fallback: every markup stripped away, leaving clean readable text. It is what you want for search indexing, text analytics, LLM ingestion, email bodies, and any pipeline where formatting is noise rather than signal.

Frequently asked questions

How do I convert PDF to Plain Text?

Upload your file in the browser converter and pick Plain Text as the target, or POST it to /api/convert with from=pdf and to=plain. The response body is the converted file.

Is converting PDF to Plain Text free?

Yes. The free tier includes 2 GB of conversions per month, metered on input size. See pricing for the paid tiers.

Is there an API for PDF to Plain Text conversion?

Yes, this whole conversion is one POST to /api/convert (the code examples above show it in five languages), plus an MCP server so AI agents can run it directly.