PDF to Markdown

Turn a PDF into Markdown — headings, paragraphs and lists, ready to paste into a document, a wiki or a static site. Choose a PDF and the tool reads its text and writes it out as Markdown. It runs entirely in your browser: free, no sign-in, and your file never leaves your device.

Basic text-only conversion: this tool extracts the text from your PDF. Tables and images are not converted — a table comes out as plain lines of text, and images are left out entirely.

How the converter works

The tool reads your PDF with Mozilla pdf.js, the same open-source engine that renders PDFs in Firefox, and pulls out the text on every page, in reading order. It then writes that text out as Markdown. Lines printed in clearly larger type than the rest of the document become headings — a big title becomes a ## heading and a section heading becomes a ### heading. Lines close together become one paragraph; a wider gap starts a new paragraph. Lines that start with a dash or a number stay as list items, and each page is separated from the next by a horizontal rule (---).

Heading detection is basic: it only looks at font size, so it can miss a heading that is the same size as the body text, or mark a large line as a heading when it is really just big body text. It works well on ordinary documents — a report, an essay, a manual — where titles and section headings are printed larger than the body. Tables come out as plain lines of text, without columns or borders, and images are left out: this is a text-only conversion. Nothing is uploaded to a server. Your PDF is processed on your own device, so it works on any connection and your documents stay private.

A PDF is a finished page — fixed layout, fixed fonts, hard to reuse. Markdown is the opposite: plain text with a few simple marks for headings, lists and paragraphs, ready to paste into a document, a wiki, a notes app or a static site. The PDF to Markdown tool turns a PDF into Markdown: it reads the text on every page and writes it out as Markdown, with headings where it can detect them, paragraphs kept together, and lists kept as lists. You choose a PDF, press convert, and copy the Markdown or download it as a .md file. It runs entirely in your browser: free, no sign-in, and your file never leaves your device.

This is a basic text-only conversion. Tables and images are not converted: a table comes out as plain lines of text, without columns or borders, and images are left out entirely. Heading detection is basic too — it only looks at font size, so it works well on ordinary documents where titles and section headings are printed larger than the body, and it can miss headings that are the same size as the body text. The tool says so on the page, and this guide explains exactly what it does and does not do.

How to use the tool, step by step

Three steps, and the whole conversion takes seconds on an ordinary document.

• Step 1 — Choose a PDF. Drop a PDF file onto the box, or click it to choose one from your device. PDF files only, up to 50 MB. As soon as it loads, the tool shows the file name and how many pages it has — check that number before you convert.
• Step 2 — Convert. Press “Convert to Markdown”. The tool reads the text on every page, in order, and writes it out as Markdown. A short summary appears under the output: how many pages were converted, how many words and characters of Markdown came out, and how many headings were detected.
• Step 3 — Copy or download. The Markdown appears in a text box. Press “Copy Markdown” to copy it to the clipboard, or “Download .md file” to save it — the file is named after your PDF, so “report.pdf” becomes “report.md”. Paste it wherever Markdown works: a document, a wiki page, a notes app, or a static-site post.

How heading detection works

PDFs do not store headings the way a Word document does — a PDF only knows where each letter sits and how big it is. So the tool detects headings from font size alone, and it says so honestly: this is a basic heuristic, not perfect heading detection.

First it finds the body size: the median font size of every text line in the document. On most documents that is the body text size, for example 12 pt. Then every line is compared with that body size. A line printed at least 1.6 times the body size becomes a ## heading — a 24 pt title over 12 pt body is twice the size, so it becomes ##. A line at least 1.25 times the body size becomes a ### heading — a 16 pt section heading over 12 pt body is 1.33 times the size, so it becomes ###, and an 18 pt heading is 1.5 times the size, so it also becomes ###. A line the same size as the body stays a paragraph. Very long lines are never treated as headings, however large the type, because a long line in big type is usually wrapped body text rather than a title.

That covers the common case: a report with a big title, section headings, and body text. It misses headings that are the same size as the body but bold or coloured, and it can mark a large line as a heading when it is really just big body text. Check the Markdown after converting and fix any heading that looks wrong — the output is plain text, so a ## is easy to change to ### or to plain text.

What the Markdown looks like

• Headings: ## Title for the biggest lines, ### Section heading for the next size down. Only two heading levels are used — the tool never invents deeper levels.
• Paragraphs: lines close together become one paragraph, joined with a space. A wider gap between lines starts a new paragraph.
• Lists: a line starting with a dash, a star or a bullet character becomes a - item list item, and a line starting with a number like “1.” stays a numbered item. Consecutive list items stay together as one list.
• Page breaks: each page with text is separated from the next by a horizontal rule, a line with three dashes (---). A 3-page PDF gives 2 separators; a 1-page PDF gives none.
• Tables and images: not converted. A table’s words appear as plain lines of text, in reading order, with no columns. Images are left out — the Markdown has no image marks at all.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a 3-page report. Page 1 has a 24 pt title “Annual Report 2026”, a 16 pt heading “Introduction”, and two body paragraphs in 12 pt. Page 2 has an 18 pt heading “Results” and one paragraph. Page 3 has a 16 pt heading “What we will do next” and a list of 3 bullets plus 2 numbered items. The tool converts it to 544 characters and 103 words of Markdown, with 4 headings and 2 page separators. The Markdown starts with ## Annual Report 2026, then ### Introduction, then the two paragraphs, then ---, then ### Results with its paragraph, then ---, then ### What we will do next with the 5 list items. Every word of the original text is in the Markdown, in the same order.

Example 2 — a 1-page letter. A single page with a 24 pt title and 12 pt body text converts to Markdown starting with a ## heading, followed by the body paragraphs and no page separator — there is only one page, so there is nothing to separate. The file downloads as “letter.md” if the PDF was called “letter.pdf”.

Example 3 — a 2-page scanned PDF. A scanned PDF is pictures of pages, not text, so there is nothing to extract. The tool does not invent text and does not give a fake result: it shows the message “This PDF has no text to convert — it may be a scanned document made of images.” Run the scan through an OCR tool first, then convert the text PDF that comes out of it.

Tables and images are not converted

Say it plainly, because it is the most common surprise: this tool extracts text only. A price table in a PDF comes out as its words in lines, not as a Markdown table — the columns and borders are gone, and the numbers may read in an odd order if the table was laid out in columns. A chart or a photograph is left out completely; there is no image in the Markdown and no placeholder saying an image was there. If you need the table, copy its numbers into a Markdown table by hand after converting, or use a tool built for tables. If you need the images, extract them with a PDF-to-image tool first.

Common mistakes

• Expecting tables to survive. A table becomes plain lines of text. If the table matters, rebuild it as a Markdown table from the converted words — the words are all there, in reading order.
• Expecting a scanned PDF to convert. Scans have no text inside them. The tool tells you so instead of giving an empty file — run OCR first.
• Trusting every heading blindly. Heading detection only looks at font size. A big line of body text can become a ##, and a same-size heading can stay a paragraph. Read the output once and fix the marks that are wrong.
• Forgetting the page separators. A long document has a --- line between pages. That is a horizontal rule in Markdown — remove it if you do not want a visible rule in your document.
• Converting a password-protected PDF. The tool cannot open a PDF that asks for a password. Open it with the password in your usual PDF reader, save an unprotected copy, and convert that copy instead.
• Converting a file over 50 MB. The limit exists because the whole conversion runs in your browser: a larger file would use too much of your device’s memory. Split the PDF into parts first, or reduce its size and try again.

Related tools

The PDF to Markdown tool sits in the File & Image group, and these companion tools cover the rest of a PDF workflow.

• Compress PDF — make a PDF smaller before you convert it, so a large file fits the 50 MB limit.
• Split PDF — pull out just the pages you want to convert, instead of converting a whole 200-page file.
• PDF Merger — combine several PDFs into one file first, then convert the combined file in one go.
• PDF to Word — turn a PDF into an editable Word document when you need to edit the layout, not just the text.
• PDF to JPG — turn PDF pages into images, for example to keep a chart or a diagram the Markdown converter leaves out.
• JPG to PDF — turn images into a PDF first, then convert that PDF to Markdown once it has text.
• Sign PDF — add your signature to a PDF, for example the original file before you convert a copy of it to Markdown.
• Excel to PDF — turn a spreadsheet into a PDF, which you can then convert to Markdown as plain text lines.

For all of ToolZana’s free tools, start at the ToolZana home page.

Tips for clean Markdown

• Convert the right pages. Split out the pages you need first — converting a 200-page manual to get one chapter means wading through 199 pages of Markdown you do not want.
• Read the headings once. The summary under the output tells you how many headings were detected. If that number looks wrong, scan the Markdown for a ## that should be a paragraph, or a paragraph that should be a heading.
• Fix tables by hand. The words are all there, in reading order. Paste them into a Markdown table — it takes a minute and the result is cleaner than any automatic table guess.
• Keep the original PDF. The Markdown is a copy of the text, not the document. Keep the PDF until you have checked the Markdown reads correctly — then file or delete it as you like.
• Use the .md download for long documents. Copy works well for a page or two; for a long document the download keeps the whole file intact, named after your PDF.

The short version

The PDF to Markdown tool turns a PDF into Markdown in your browser: a 24 pt title over 12 pt body becomes a ## heading, 16 pt and 18 pt headings become ###, close lines join into paragraphs, dash and numbered lines stay as lists, and pages are separated by ---. A 3-page report converts to 544 characters and 103 words of Markdown with 4 headings and 2 page separators. It is a basic text-only conversion — tables come out as plain lines of text and images are not converted — and a scanned PDF with no text gives a clear message instead of a fake result. Your file never leaves your device, the tool is free, and there is no sign-in.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a PDF to Markdown converter?

A PDF to Markdown converter reads the text out of a PDF file and writes it as Markdown — plain text with simple marks for headings, paragraphs and lists. The Markdown can be pasted into a document, a wiki, a notes app or a static-site post. This tool does a basic text-only conversion: headings, paragraphs and simple lists are kept, while tables and images are not converted.

How do I convert a PDF to Markdown?

Choose your PDF in the tool — drop it on the box or click to pick a file — then press “Convert to Markdown”. The Markdown appears in a text box below. Press “Copy Markdown” to copy it, or “Download .md file” to save it as a file named after your PDF, for example “report.pdf” becomes “report.md”.

Is this PDF to Markdown tool free?

Yes — this tool is completely free, with no sign-in and no limits on how often you use it. It runs entirely in your browser, so your file is never uploaded to a server, and there is no account or payment step at any point.

Do my files leave my computer when I convert a PDF here?

No. The conversion happens entirely in your browser, on your own device — your PDF is never uploaded to a server, stored, or seen by anyone else. You can use the tool offline once the page has loaded, and closing the page removes the file from the tool.

How are headings detected in the Markdown?

Headings are detected from font size alone, and the tool says so honestly — this is a basic heuristic, not perfect heading detection. The body size is the median font size of all the text lines. A line at least 1.6 times the body size becomes a “##” heading, and a line at least 1.25 times the body size becomes a “###” heading. A 24 pt title over 12 pt body becomes “##”, while 16 pt and 18 pt section headings over 12 pt body become “###”. Headings the same size as the body text are missed, so check the output once after converting.

What happens to tables in my PDF?

Tables are not converted. A table’s words come out as plain lines of text, in reading order, with no columns, borders or Markdown table marks. If the table matters, rebuild it as a Markdown table from the converted words by hand — the words are all there, and a hand-built table reads better than any automatic guess.

What happens to images in my PDF?

Images are not converted. Charts, photographs and diagrams are left out of the Markdown entirely — there is no image mark and no placeholder saying an image was there. If you need an image from the PDF, extract it with a PDF-to-image tool first and add it to your document separately.

Can I convert a scanned PDF to Markdown?

No — a scanned PDF is pictures of pages, not text, so there is nothing to extract. The tool tells you so with a clear message instead of giving you an empty or fake result. Run the scan through an OCR tool first to make a text PDF, then convert that file here.

What is the largest PDF I can convert?

Files up to 50 MB can be converted here. The limit exists because the whole conversion runs in your browser: a larger file would use too much of your device’s memory and could freeze the page. If your file is over 50 MB, split it into smaller parts first, or reduce its size and try again.

Why does the tool say my PDF is password-protected?

Some PDFs are locked with a password, and the tool cannot open a locked file without it. Open the PDF with the password in your usual PDF reader, then save an unprotected copy and convert that copy instead. If you do not know the password, the file cannot be converted here.

How do I download the Markdown as a .md file?

After converting, press “Download .md file” under the output box. The file downloads with the same name as your PDF but with a .md ending — “report.pdf” becomes “report.md”. It is a plain text file, so it opens in any text editor, notes app or code editor.

What can I do with the Markdown after converting?

Paste it into anything that reads Markdown: a wiki page, a notes app, a static-site post, a README file, or a document editor that accepts Markdown. Headings, paragraphs and lists carry over as Markdown marks, so the structure of the original document survives. Tables and images need adding back by hand, and it is worth reading the output once to fix any heading the basic detection got wrong.