How the PDF to Markdown converter works
Last updated 10 November 2026
A PDF is built to look the same everywhere, not to be edited. The text inside is stored as many small pieces, each with a position and a size on the page. This tool reads those pieces and rebuilds the structure you would see: lines, paragraphs, headings and lists. The result is written as Markdown, a plain text format that notes apps, websites and documentation tools can read.
How it works
- Pieces of text on the same baseline are joined into one line, from left to right.
- The most common text size is treated as normal body text. Lines set noticeably larger become headings: about 1.6 times the body size gives a level 1 heading, 1.3 times a level 2 and 1.12 times a level 3.
- A bigger gap between two lines than the usual line spacing starts a new paragraph.
- Lines that start with a bullet become list items, and lines that start with 1. or 2) become a numbered list.
- Lines near the top or bottom of a page that repeat on several pages, and bare page numbers, are left out. This includes headers that change on odd and even pages. You can turn this off.
- Lines that are indented with no bullet, two or more in a row, are treated as a list.
- If every line is the same size, headings cannot be found by size. Short lines that stand alone above longer text are then guessed to be headings. You can turn this off.
- Text that was saved with broken characters, such as a dash that shows as a few odd letters, is repaired where the damage is clear, and dotted lines in a contents list are shortened.
What it is good for
Reports, articles, study notes, manuals and contracts that were made on a computer and have a normal text layer. Convert the file, check the result and paste it into your notes app or website.
What it cannot do
- Scans and photos. A page that is a picture has no text to read. The tool tells you when it finds none. It does not do OCR.
- Tables. Each row comes out as a line of text. Columns of numbers may run together.
- Columns. A page with two or more columns of text can come out interleaved, because the tool reads lines across the page.
- Bold, italics, links and images. These are not carried over.
- Password-protected files. Remove the password first.
Choosing options
Type page numbers such as 1-3, 5 to convert only part of a long file. Switch off headings if the file uses large text for decoration rather than titles. Choose a line or a page note between pages if you want to see where each page began. The default is to let the text flow on, and to join a paragraph that carries on across a page.
Check before you use it
No tool reads every PDF perfectly. Look for words that were split, headings that were missed or found by mistake, and lists that ran into a paragraph. Fixing a few lines by hand is usually quick. If the document matters, such as a contract or a statement, keep the original PDF as the version that counts.
Your file stays on your device
The file is read in your own browser by a library that is loaded only when you press the button. Nothing is uploaded, which matters for contracts, statements and ID documents. The text is not kept once you close or reload the page.
Related tools
To keep only some pages first, use the extract pages tool. To join files, use the merge tool. To tidy the text you copied, try the text cleaner, and to check what changed between two versions, the text compare tool.
Things to watch
- A PDF with no text layer gives no result.
- Headings are guessed from text size, so check them.
- The original file is not changed.
Like every tool on MoneyMzansi, this one runs entirely in your browser. There is no account, no upload and no sign-up.