Convert PDF to Text by cloudHQ turns documents into plain-text (.txt) files. Select files from Google Drive, choose a Google Drive folder, or upload files from your computer, and cloudHQ extracts the text for you.

The tool works with regular PDFs that already contain selectable text and uses OCR (optical character recognition) for scanned PDFs, photos, and screenshots. You can also redact sensitive information and optionally maintain combined text files for a folder or for your Google Drive. Your original files are not changed.

Plain text is lightweight, searchable, easy to copy, and simple for other software to process. Common uses include:

• AI and ChatGPT workflows: Give an AI tool clean text instead of a complex PDF, especially when the original is a scan.
• Search and audits: Search across contracts, policies, reports, and other document collections without opening each PDF separately.
• Receipts, forms, and screenshots: Use OCR to turn image-only content into text that bookkeeping, data-entry, and automation tools can read.
• Safer sharing: Remove selected personal or confidential information before sharing the extracted text with another person or service.

To learn more, visit the Convert PDF to Text website.

You can convert the following file types:

• PDF and HTML: .pdf, .html, and .htm
• Images: .png, .jpg, .jpeg, .gif, .bmp, .tif, .tiff, and .webp
• Microsoft Word: .doc and .docx

The Google Drive picker also supports Google Docs. Supported Google Workspace files found during a folder conversion can be exported to text; spreadsheet content is exported as comma-separated text. A file uploaded from your computer can be up to 25 MB.

Yes. If a PDF or image does not contain selectable text, Convert PDF to Text uses OCR to recognize the words and create a text file. OCR quality depends on the source: clear, upright, high-resolution pages with readable type produce the best results. Blurry images, handwriting, unusual fonts, multi-column pages, and complex tables may require manual cleanup.

No. TXT is a plain-text format, so it does not preserve fonts, colors, page layout, embedded images, or the exact appearance of tables and columns. The purpose of the conversion is to extract readable words for searching, copying, editing, AI processing, or automation. If you need to preserve the document’s visual layout, use a format such as PDF or Microsoft Word instead.

Each input produces a separate .txt file. For a file selected from Google Drive, cloudHQ saves the result next to the source file when Google Drive permissions allow it. Results for files uploaded from your computer, or Drive files that cannot be moved to their source folder, are saved in the root of My Drive. The results page also provides a download button for each successfully converted file.

The original PDF, image, or document is never modified or replaced.

Yes. Folder conversion includes files directly inside the selected folder; it does not recursively process files inside subfolders. Existing TXT files and the combined text files created by this product are skipped so the converter does not process its own output. The instructions on how to do that are here: How to convert all files in a folder

Yes. Convert PDF to Text has two optional combined-file settings:

• files_in_this_folder_as_text.txt keeps the converted text collected inside each source folder.
• files_in_this_google_drive_as_text.txt keeps the converted text collected in one file in the root of your Google Drive.

These options are off by default. They add files as you convert them; they do not automatically scan text from every existing file in your Drive. If you convert the same Google Drive file again, its section in the combined file is updated instead of being added as a duplicate. You can change the defaults on the Convert PDF to Text settings page.

Redaction is optional and is off by default. When enabled, it is applied to the extracted text before the TXT output is created. You can ask cloudHQ to detect person names, email addresses, phone numbers, mailing addresses, Social Security numbers, organizations, dates, bank account numbers, and credit card numbers. You can also enter custom information types and exact words or phrases that should always be removed. Detected text is replaced with XXXXXX.

Password-protected PDFs cannot be converted without their password. Remove the password protection from the PDF and submit it again. A conversion can also fail when a file is damaged, empty, unsupported, or contains content that cannot be read. If an OCR result is incomplete, try a clearer or higher-resolution copy. If the problem continues, contact support@cloudhq.net and include the error shown on the results page.

Yes. A free cloudHQ account can submit up to 20 files for conversion, with no credit card required. The allowance is based on files, not PDF pages, and the usage counter is cumulative; it does not reset each month. A paid plan provides unlimited conversions.

Use this direct link to buy or upgrade the paid plan: Upgrade Convert PDF to Text by cloudHQ.

Yes. Open https://www.cloudhq.net/pdf_to_txt in the browser on your phone or tablet and sign in to cloudHQ. For large batches, folder selection, or many local uploads, a desktop browser may be easier to use.

Google Drive authorization lets the app read the files or folders you select and create the resulting TXT files in your Drive. cloudHQ uses Google’s OAuth authorization flow, so the app does not receive or store your Google password. You can review or revoke cloudHQ’s access from your Google Account permissions at any time.

cloudHQ uses your selected files and extracted text only as needed to provide the conversion, OCR, redaction, download, and Google Drive features you request. Data is protected in transit and at rest, and document content is not used for advertising. The service must process the selected files to perform the conversion, and specialized features may use service providers acting on cloudHQ’s behalf. Your resulting TXT files intentionally remain in your Google Drive, and downloadable results are created for your cloudHQ account.

For complete details, read how cloudHQ handles the privacy of your data, the full cloudHQ Privacy Policy, and the current cloudHQ sub-processor list.

Yes, you can install Convert PDF to Text by cloudHQ on your Google Workspace domain so it is available to everyone in your company. To do this, choose the Admin install option in the Google Workspace Marketplace. As shown here:

You can install Convert PDF to Text by cloudHQ from Google Workspace Marketplace, or open the Convert PDF to Text dashboard directly in your browser.