PDF to Markdown Converter
Convert text-based PDFs to clean, editable Markdown for free. This online tool processes your file locally in the browser and never uploads it.
Your PDF stays on this device
Drop a PDF document here
or click to choose a .pdf file up to 20 MB and 100 pages
What to expect from PDF-to-Markdown conversion
Best for text PDFs
Reports, papers, manuals, and exported documents with selectable text produce the strongest results.
Structure is inferred
Font sizes and page coordinates are used to recover headings, paragraphs, lists, links, and reading order.
Scans need OCR
Image-only pages are detected and omitted. Fully scanned PDFs stop with an actionable OCR message.
Why convert PDF to Markdown?
PDF is designed for fixed-page presentation. Markdown is editable, searchable, version-control friendly, and easier to reuse across AI, documentation, publishing, and note-taking workflows.
AI and RAG preparation
Turn selectable PDF text into Markdown that is easier to review, chunk, and add to an AI prompt, retrieval pipeline, or knowledge base.
Documentation and publishing
Move reports, manuals, and exported pages into documentation sites, static-site generators, Git repositories, or Markdown-friendly CMS workflows.
Research and notes
Create editable source for Obsidian, note-taking systems, literature reviews, and personal archives while keeping the original PDF on your device.
How to convert PDF to Markdown
Create editable Markdown in three private browser-only steps. No account or document upload is required.
- Step 1
Choose a PDF
Select or drop a text-based PDF up to 20 MB and 100 pages.
- Step 2
Review the conversion
Edit the Markdown source, preview the result, and review fidelity warnings.
- Step 3
Use your Markdown
Copy it, download a .md file, or open it in the Markdown editor.
PDF content converted to Markdown
Markdown describes logical structure, while PDF describes a fixed page. The converter preserves what can be inferred reliably and flags the rest.
| PDF content | Markdown result |
|---|---|
| Selectable text | Converted in page reading order with Unicode preserved. |
| Headings | Inferred from font sizes and converted to ATX headings. |
| Bulleted and numbered lists | Recognizable list markers are converted to Markdown lists. |
| Links | Safe HTTP, HTTPS, and email annotations are preserved without being opened. |
| Multiple columns | Reordered using best-effort geometry and reported with a warning. |
| Tables and images | Reported and simplified or omitted; they are not reconstructed in this version. |
PDF-to-Markdown example
A selectable PDF heading, paragraph, and bullet list can become portable Markdown syntax. Exact results depend on the text layer and page geometry stored in the source PDF.
Text visible in the PDF
Project update
The migration is ready for review.
• Validate links
• Publish documentationEditable Markdown result
# Project update
The migration is ready for review.
- Validate links
- Publish documentationLimits and privacy
PDF files can be up to 20 MB and 100 pages. Generated Markdown can be up to 5 MB.
The PDF.js parser and its worker are served with this site. No PDF bytes, links, or extracted text are sent to a remote service.
Need another format?
Use the Word to Markdown converter for DOCX structure and embedded images.
Open any converted result in the Markdown editor to refine and save it locally.
PDF to Markdown questions
Is my PDF uploaded?
No. The PDF is parsed locally by code running in your browser. Document bytes are never sent to a conversion API.
Can it convert scanned PDFs?
Not yet. Scanned and image-only PDFs require OCR. The converter detects them and explains why selectable text is required.
Why can PDF formatting change?
PDF stores positioned page content rather than the semantic document structure found in DOCX or HTML. Headings, paragraphs, columns, and lists must be inferred.
Are PDF links opened during conversion?
No. Supported safe link destinations are copied into Markdown but are never visited or fetched during conversion.