Check whether text is selectable
If you cannot select words in the PDF viewer, the page will use OCR and should receive extra review after conversion.
PDF conversion
Convert PDF to clean, editable Markdown
PDF is designed to hold a page layout steady, not to expose a document's logical structure. This converter extracts the text layer and turns useful signals such as headings, paragraphs, lists, tables, and links into Markdown. Image-only pages automatically use local English OCR.
Supported extensions: .pdf. Files are processed temporarily and are not placed in public URLs.
Best fit
Structure-first conversion
Technical reports, exported specifications, text-based white papers, and reference documents with a selectable text layer.
1Upload
2Convert
3Edit
Useful structure
What the conversion aims to preserve
- Selectable text in the document's detected reading order
- Heading, paragraph, list, and link structure when it can be inferred
- Many conventional tables as Markdown table syntax
- Page text without carrying over fixed margins, fonts, or print chrome
Manual review
Where cleanup may be needed
- Scanned or image-only pages use OCR and can contain recognition mistakes
- Multi-column layouts can produce an unexpected reading order
- Complex tables, callouts, equations, and footnotes may need manual repair
- Decorative images and precise pagination are not reproduced in Markdown
Small example
From PDF content to Markdown source
The useful hierarchy remains while page coordinates and presentation styling fall away.
A PDF project brief
PROJECT ATLAS Overview Owner: Platform Team Milestones 1. Schema review 2. API freeze
result.mdeditable
# Project Atlas ## Overview **Owner:** Platform Team ## Milestones 1. Schema review 2. API freeze
Better input, cleaner output
PDF conversion tips
Review reading order first
For multi-column reports, scan the first few converted paragraphs before spending time on detailed formatting.
Rebuild only important tables
Wide or merged-cell tables are often clearer as short lists, separate tables, or linked source data.
For a repeatable review process, read the conversion best-practices guide and the guide to cleaning converted Markdown.
Preparing a document for an LLM? Read how to convert PDF to Markdown for AI and avoid unnecessary token use.
PDF to Markdown FAQ
Practical answers about what the conversion does—and what still deserves a human review.
Can this convert a scanned PDF?
Yes. Pages without enough selectable text automatically use local English OCR. Clear, high-resolution scans work best, and the result should always be reviewed.
Will the Markdown look exactly like the PDF?
No. Markdown preserves useful content structure rather than fixed page layout. Columns, fonts, exact spacing, and pagination are intentionally not reproduced.
What should I review after PDF conversion?
Check heading levels, paragraph order, tables, hyphenated line breaks, and repeated headers or footers. These are the most layout-dependent parts of a PDF.
Related workflows
Explore other supported formats
Make the next draft easier to edit
Upload a supported PDF file, convert it privately, and continue in the Markdown editor without exposing its contents in the URL.
Convert PDF to Markdown