Is my PDF uploaded to a server?

No. The file is read and converted entirely in your browser with Mozilla's PDF.js. markdownme.com is a static site with no upload endpoint, so the PDF never leaves your machine.

Does it work on scanned PDFs?

No. A scanned PDF stores images of pages with no text layer, and this tool does not run OCR. It detects the empty-text case and tells you to run OCR first with a tool such as ocrmypdf, Adobe Acrobat, or Google Docs, then convert the OCR'd file here.

Are tables converted to Markdown tables?

No. A PDF stores a table as text positioned at coordinates with no cell structure recorded, so the values arrive as lines of text. For tables, use a dedicated extractor such as Tabula or Camelot and convert its CSV output.

How are headings detected?

By relative font size. The tool works out which size carries most of the body text, then promotes each larger size to a heading level — the largest to #, the next to ##. A document that marks headings only with bold at body size produces no headings.

Why is a two-column PDF mixed up?

Text is read in the order the PDF stores it, which for some two-column documents alternates between columns. Reorder the affected sections in the editable output pane before copying.

PDF to Markdown

Drop a PDF and get Markdown back. The tool reads the PDF text layer with Mozilla's PDF.js inside your browser, then applies structure heuristics: the largest font sizes become # and ## headings, bullet and numbered lists are rebuilt, hard-wrapped lines are rejoined into full sentences, words split by a hyphen at a line break are healed, and repeating page headers, footers, and page numbers are removed. Toggle each heuristic, pick a page range, then copy the Markdown or download a .md file. The PDF never leaves your machine — there is no upload and no server. Honest limits: there is no OCR, so a scanned or image-only PDF produces no text; multi-column layouts can interleave; and tables come back as lines of text, not Markdown pipe tables.

Your PDF never leaves this browser. The file is read and converted on your own machine with Mozilla's PDF.js. Nothing is uploaded, stored, or sent to a server.

Drop a PDF here, or click to choose a file

Detect headingsMerge hyphenated wordsStrip headers, footers, page numbersPages

Markdown output

What this converter cannot do

No OCR. Scanned or image-only PDFs contain no text layer, so they produce no output.
Multi-column pages can interleave. The text is read in the order the PDF stores it, so a two-column academic paper may mix the columns together.
Tables are not reconstructed. PDF tables are loose positioned text with no cell structure, so they arrive as lines of text, not Markdown pipe tables.
Equations, footnotes, and figures lose their formatting. Maths becomes plain characters, and images are skipped entirely.
Heading detection uses relative font size. A document that sets every heading in the body size produces no headings — turn the toggle off and add them by hand.

PDF to Markdown guides

Exact answers for converting PDFs: feeding a PDF to ChatGPT or Claude, why scanned files return nothing, keeping headings, table limits, and Obsidian imports.

Convert a PDFDrop a PDF into the browser converter. It reads the text layer, infers headings from font size, rebuilds lists, and returns Markdown you can copy or download as a .md file.PDF for AI ContextMarkdown is a cheaper, cleaner context format than a raw PDF dump. Convert first, strip the running headers, then paste the text into the model or your retrieval pipeline.Scanned PDFs and OCRA scanned PDF stores pictures of pages, not characters. Text extraction returns nothing because there is nothing to extract. Run OCR first, then convert.Keep HeadingsThe converter infers headings from relative font size: the largest size becomes #, the next becomes ##. Here is when that works, and what to do when a document defeats it.PDF TablesA PDF table is positioned text with no cell structure. This converter returns the table's text as lines, not as a Markdown pipe table. Here is the honest workaround.PDF for ObsidianDownload the converted .md file straight into your vault. Headings become real outline levels, and the source PDF never leaves your machine.

Was this rewrite usable?

Get new tools by email

We add tools most weeks. Give an email address and we send you the new ones, plus short notes on how to use them. No more than one email a week. Unsubscribe with one click.

How to Use PDF to Markdown

Drag a PDF onto the drop area, or click it and choose a file.
Wait for the per-page progress indicator to finish reading the document.
Adjust the heading detection, hyphen merging, and header/footer toggles.
Enter a page range such as 1-5 and drop the file again to convert part of the document.
Copy the Markdown, or press Download .md.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is my PDF uploaded to a server?: No. The file is read and converted entirely in your browser with Mozilla's PDF.js. markdownme.com is a static site with no upload endpoint, so the PDF never leaves your machine.
Does it work on scanned PDFs?: No. A scanned PDF stores images of pages with no text layer, and this tool does not run OCR. It detects the empty-text case and tells you to run OCR first with a tool such as ocrmypdf, Adobe Acrobat, or Google Docs, then convert the OCR'd file here.
Are tables converted to Markdown tables?: No. A PDF stores a table as text positioned at coordinates with no cell structure recorded, so the values arrive as lines of text. For tables, use a dedicated extractor such as Tabula or Camelot and convert its CSV output.
How are headings detected?: By relative font size. The tool works out which size carries most of the body text, then promotes each larger size to a heading level — the largest to #, the next to ##. A document that marks headings only with bold at body size produces no headings.
Why is a two-column PDF mixed up?: Text is read in the order the PDF stores it, which for some two-column documents alternates between columns. Reorder the affected sections in the editable output pane before copying.

Related Tools

Markdown Editor

Free online Markdown editor with live preview. Write and preview Markdown in real-time with GitHub Flavored Markdown support.

WYSIWYG Markdown Editor

Rich text WYSIWYG editor that outputs clean Markdown. Free online visual Markdown editor.

Markdown to HTML

Convert Markdown to clean HTML code instantly. Free online Markdown to HTML converter with copy and download options.

HTML to Markdown

Convert HTML to clean Markdown instantly. Free online HTML to Markdown converter. Paste HTML and get Markdown output.

About PDF to Markdown

Convert a PDF to clean Markdown in your browser. Headings, lists, and paragraphs are rebuilt from the PDF text layer, and the file is never uploaded. This tool runs entirely in your browser, so your content is not sent to a server. MarkdownMe provides free, fast, and reliable Markdown tools for developers, writers, and anyone who works with Markdown.