PDF → Markdown
BetaConvert a PDF to a Markdown file of readable paragraphs, with a separator between pages.
How to convert PDF to Markdown
- Choose a PDF with selectable text.
- Keep All pages, or pick Choose pages and type page numbers in output order.
- Press Export Markdown.
- Download the .md file.
Options
- All pages
- Exports every page in document order.
- Choose pages
- Type pages and ranges such as 3, 1-2. The Markdown follows that order, and a repeated number repeats the page. Up to 1,000 entries.
- Undo, Redo and Reset
- Step through or clear your page choices before you export.
What you get
- One UTF-8 .md file named after the PDF, for example report.md. It opens in any text editor and renders in Markdown apps such as Obsidian, GitHub or VS Code.
- Text is grouped into paragraphs where the vertical gap between lines is large. Line breaks inside a paragraph are joined into one line.
- Each page is separated from the next by a horizontal rule (---).
- Characters that Markdown would read as formatting, links or HTML are escaped, so they stay as plain text.
Limits
- One PDF at a time, up to 1,000 page entries when you choose pages.
- Headings, bold, italics, lists and links are not detected. The output is paragraphs of text.
- Tables, columns and exact page layout are not rebuilt.
- Images are not exported. Use Extract images from PDF for supported JPEG images.
- Scanned pages have no selectable text, so they export as empty pages. Run Make PDF searchable first, then export the searchable copy.
- Password-protected PDFs must be unlocked first with Unlock PDF.
Check the result
After the export, Deckle reopens the .md file and counts its text characters against the selectable text in the source. Open the file in a Markdown editor and check the page order, each --- separator and any punctuation that matters.
Questions
Why convert a PDF to Markdown instead of plain text?
Markdown groups lines into paragraphs and marks page boundaries with a rule, which pastes cleanly into notes apps, wikis, documentation and AI chat tools. Plain text keeps the original line breaks instead.
Does it keep headings and formatting?
No. Headings, bold, lists and links are not recognised. You get readable paragraphs that you can format afterwards.
Can it convert tables to Markdown tables?
No. Table text comes out as paragraphs. To get one table as rows and columns, use PDF to CSV.
Why are there backslashes in my Markdown?
They escape characters such as *, # or < that would otherwise turn into formatting or HTML. The rendered Markdown shows the original characters.
Can I change the page order?
Yes. Choose pages and type them in the order you want, for example 5, 1-4. Each page is still separated by a --- rule, so you can see where one ends.
Why do some lines run together into one paragraph?
Lines close together on the page are treated as one paragraph and joined with spaces. Headings set tight above body text, captions and table rows can merge this way. Add line breaks in your editor where you need them.
Is my PDF uploaded?
No. The Markdown file is built in your browser and the PDF stays on your device.