PDF to Markdown Converter
Extract selectable PDF text locally into structured Markdown (.md) preserving headings, paragraphs, bulleted and numbered lists, and conservative multi-column reading order.
Method and assumptions
Selectable text items and their [x, y, width, height] transformation matrices are extracted per page via pdfjs-dist. The engine detects two-column page layouts by checking for a clean central vertical gutter, orders text top-to-bottom within each column, infers H1/H2 headings from font-height ratios relative to median body text, normalizes bulleted and numbered lists, and joins wrapped paragraph lines.
Common mistakes and edge cases
If a PDF contains fewer than 15 selectable characters (typical of scanned paper documents stored as images), the tool flags the file as a scanned/image-only PDF requiring OCR rather than returning a misleading empty file.
How to use
- Drop a PDF document into the workspace (or load the sample technical PDF).
- Inspect the extracted Markdown, word/character counts, and multi-column or scanned-PDF diagnostics.
- Edit the Markdown in place if needed, then click Copy Markdown or Download .md.
Example
Load the sample architecture PDF: the 22 pt title converts to '# Quantitative Execution Architecture', 15 pt section headers convert to '## Core Design Principles', and bulleted/numbered items format as clean Markdown lists.
Frequently asked questions
- What happens if I upload a scanned image PDF?
- If a PDF contains fewer than 15 selectable text characters, the tool explicitly flags it as a scanned/image-only PDF requiring OCR rather than returning a misleading empty file.
- How are two-column academic or technical PDFs handled?
- The extractor checks each page for a clean central vertical gutter and reads the left column top-to-bottom before the right column so sentences are not interleaved across columns.
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This tool is provided for general informational and workflow purposes only. It does not constitute financial, investment, tax, or professional advice. All calculations run in your browser; no input data is transmitted or stored.