How to convert PDF to text on Mac: Quick and easy methods

Need to copy an excerpt, edit a document, or make a PDF searchable? Converting PDF to text on Mac is easier than you think. Whether you're working with a short digital PDF or a scanned image file, there's a method that fits. This guide walks you through every option, step by step.

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Best methods to turn PDF to text on Mac

Not all PDFs are the same, and the best way to convert a PDF to text depends on what you're working with.

Here's a quick comparison to help you choose:

• Preview — Best for short, digital PDFs with selectable text. Fast and free, no extra apps needed.
• Prizmo — Best for scanned PDFs or image-based documents. Uses OCR to automatically recognize and extract text in 26 languages.
• TextSniper — Best for grabbing a line or two from any on-screen content, including PDFs, images, and videos.
• Automator — Best for long text-heavy PDFs or batch conversion. Built into macOS, no download needed.
• Nitro PDF Pro — Best when you need to convert PDF to txt, Word, or RTF while keeping original formatting intact.
• Adobe Acrobat Pro — Best for high-accuracy OCR with full editing and export options.

How to use Preview to quickly turn PDF to text

The easiest way to convert a PDF to TXT on a Mac is to use the macOS default PDF viewer, Preview. It lets you copy text from your PDFs and then work on the edits in Notes, Microsoft Word, Google Docs, or other apps of your choice.

Here’s what you need to do to convert a PDF to text in Preview:

1. Open the PDF that contains the text you want to copy (it will automatically launch Preview).
2. Go to Tools in the top menu > Text Selection.
3. Select the portion of the text you need.
4. Go to Edit in the top menu > Copy.
5. Open the app you use for editing and paste the text you’ve copied from your PDF there.

   

As you can see, Preview is very easy to use and can quickly become your go-to choice when it comes to how to convert PDF to text for relatively short documents with a few images to work around. It comes up short, though, if you're looking for tools to help you improve image quality or copy the original formatting when converting a scanned PDF to text.

How to convert scanned PDFs to text using OCR

OCR (Optical Character Recognition) is a technology that recognizes text within a digital image and can extract text from PDFs.

If you're looking for a PDF to text converter that can handle even scans of old and damaged documents, try Prizmo.

Prizmo is an advanced PDF to text OCR scanner for Mac with the built-in image improvement options that can help you digitize your documents, receipts, or a collection of notebook sketches, as well as easily turn PDFs and image files (JPEG, RAW, TIFF, and others) into TXT, RTF, or searchable PDF documents in 26 languages. 

In Prizmo, you don’t have to manually select the text you want to convert. The app automatically identifies all the areas with text and lets you edit with an in-app editing toolkit.

To convert PDF to TXT with Prizmo:

1. Open Prizmo > New Document.
2. Drop the PDF you want to turn into text into the app window.
3. Use image editing options at the bottom of the page if you need to .
4. Click on Recognize at the top right corner of the window.
5. Go to File > Export (choose a file format from the drop-down menu) > Export to File.
6. Name your export file and choose where you'd like to save it.

The only serious limitation we can think of with Prizmo is no export to Microsoft Office formats, only PDF to TXT or RTF.

Tip: OCR scanned PDFs cleanly, then export to TXT, RTF, or searchable PDF. Get Prizmo plus Nitro PDF Pro and PDF Search in Setapp, free for 7 days. Unlock 250+ apps. 

How to create searchable PDFs and convert to text

If you’re more comfortable editing in Word or other MS Office formats after you convert a scanned PDF to text, you’ll be glad you’ve found Nitro PDF Pro. 

Nitro PDF Pro is an easy-to-use PDF editing app that can turn OCR scans into PDFs editable in-app or Word DOCXs, keeping all the document’s layouts, fonts, and images intact. 

Follow these steps to get a searchable text document from your PDF with Nitro PDF Pro:

1. Open Nitro PDF Pro > Open File.
2. Select the PDF you want to extract text from > Open.
3. Go to File in the top Nitro PDF Pro menu > Export.
4. Choose language and file format from the drop-down menu > Export.
5. Name your export file and choose where you'd like to save it > Save.

   

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Nitro PDF also offers a serious performance boost with all your PDF editing needs: you can add page numbers, change the order of pages, or merge multiple PDFs, resize and delete images, create fillable forms, and use a wide range of annotation tools.

The only concern that’s worth mentioning about Nitro PDF is that its OCR engine is cloud-based, so if you’re concerned about confidentiality, opt for the AES 256-bit encryption that the app offers.

Keep layouts intact while making a scanned PDF searchable and editable. Access Nitro PDF Pro and other PDF helpers in Setapp, cancel before Day 7 = $0 charged. Activate 7-day trial. 

How to capture and convert on-screen text to editable text

What’s great about OCR is that you don’t even need to convert your PDF to text if all you need is a specific line or two from your document.

Moreover, with an advanced text recognition tool like TextSniper, you can instantly extract text from a PDF or any other app open on your screen.

TextSniper captures text from whatever area of your screen you point to — be it graphics, PDFs, web pages, and even online videos. Using this simple selection tool is as easy as using Screenshot on your Mac: once you install TextSniper, just use its hot key combination to copy any text from your screen: 

1. Press Command + Shift + 2. 
2. Select an area on your screen with the text you want copied — TextSniper will automatically recognize text and save it to your Mac’s clipboard.
3. Have the app’s text-to-speech feature read it to you or press Command + V to paste the extracted text where you want it. 

TextSniper feels a little bit like Preview — it’s definitely not a tool for converting long, heavily illustrated PDFs, but it’s ideal for capturing text from images and otherwise inaccessible formats like video or on-screen presentations.

How to convert PDF to text using Automator on Mac

Another built-in macOS app you can use as a PDF to text converter is Automator. It won’t let you convert PDF to Word and keep all the formatting, as Nitro PDF Pro would, but you can opt for rich text to save some of the formatting and rely on Automator to take care of the rest without fail.

Here’s how you convert PDF to text with Automator:

1. Open Automator from Applications in Finder.
2. Choose Workflow from the options in a pop-up dialogue window > Choose.
3. Drag and drop your PDF into the designated area of the screen. 
4. Go to Library on the top left of the screen > PDFs > Extract PDF Text. 
5. Drag the Extract PDF Text element into the screen on the right.
6. Choose Rich Text format.
7. Choose where you want to save your output file.
8. Click on Run in the top right corner of the screen to extract text from the PDF.

Automator won’t save any images in your output file, but it’s great for long text-based PDFs, and it’s already installed on your Mac.

How to OCR scanned PDFs in Adobe Acrobat

Since PDF, as a format, was invented by Adobe, it only makes sense to learn how to convert PDF to text using Adobe Acrobat.

There’s a big chance you already have Adobe Acrobat Viewer installed on your Mac, but to run OCR on a PDF you’ll need access to a paid Acrobat Pro version. It allows for text recognition in images or scanned documents, offers PDF editing and search tools, and lets you export to Word, PPT, XLS, TXT, or RTF. 

To convert a scanned PDF to text, follow these steps:

1. Open your PDF file in Acrobat.
2. Go to Tools > Edit PDF.
3. Check the box next to Recognize text to make sure image-to-text editing mode is enabled under Scanned Documents.
4. Edit the text in an editable copy of your PDF you’ve just created (when you’re done, go to File in the top menu > Save As).
5. Or convert PDF to TXT or Word document for editing (choose Export PDF from the panel on the right > Convert)

   

RAM tip: Adobe Acrobat is resource-heavy. Close other apps before running OCR on large files to avoid slowdowns.

Adobe is certainly one of the more versatile PDF to text converters: it has a great accuracy level of text recognition and lets you edit right inside of your PDF, automatically matching the original file fonts. But, since it’s a full-blown Pro app, you’ll find that it’s extremely RAM-heavy and might be too technical for most use cases.

Converting PDFs to text online: Pros and cons

If you want to convert PDF to text using OCR online, you’ll have no problems finding loads of free text recognition services. These might be convenient for an occasional PDF-to-text OCR scan, but I would be cautious to recommend them for regular use. 

Pros of online PDF to text converters:

• Free and accessible from any browser
• No installation required
• Fine for non-sensitive, one-time use

Cons, and why to be careful:

• Privacy risk: Some services openly state they share user data with third parties and can store uploaded files on their servers for up to seven days.
• Inconsistent accuracy: Formatting often breaks during conversion to Word.
• Security risk: Free online tools can expose your Mac to malware if the website isn't reputable.

Safety tips for using online OCR:

• Never upload confidential, personal, or business-sensitive documents to online tools.
• Always check the privacy policy before uploading anything.
• Use online tools only occasionally, for non-critical PDFs.
• For anything sensitive, use offline apps like Prizmo, Nitro PDF Pro, or Adobe Acrobat Pro.

So I recommend you use offline PDF to text converter apps when working with documents containing any personal or confidential info. From a cybersecurity perspective, it's also preferable to use reliable apps, like Prizmo or Nitro PDF Pro, to avoid the risk of getting your Mac infected with malware.

Master PDF to text conversion on Mac

Know that thanks to optical character recognition technology, you’re no longer powerless when it comes to editing and searching inside PDFs.

You can use native macOS Preview to capture text from PDFs and images or more advanced TextSniper capabilities to extract text from any app active on your screen, including YouTube videos or webinar streams. For long text-based PDFs, use Automator, which you already have as a free built-in feature on your Mac.

For more universal PDF editing and conversion toolkit opt for Prizmo, Nitro PDF Pro, or Adobe Acrobat Pro, They all offer powerful image enhancement, text editing, and a wide range of exporting options — including rich text (Prizmo), MS Office formats (Nitro PDF Pro, Adobe Acrobat Pro), and editable PDF files you can copy text to PDF format (Adobe Acrobat Pro).

Also, remember that you can make your life much easier if all you want is to search PDFs for information — a high-speed, AI-assisted PDF Search can handle the job without converting PDFs to TXT.

Make every PDF usable again, searchable, editable, and easy to quote. Get 7 days of Setapp with 250+ apps, including Prizmo, Nitro PDF Pro, and TextSniper. Cancel before Day 7 = $0 charged. Get Setapp access.