PDF to Markdown

Convert a PDF into clean Markdown with headings and lists, ready for docs, wikis, notes apps or AI prompts.

Reviewed by Dany, RightSums team · Updated

Runs in your browser. Your files are not uploaded.

pdf-convert-from · PDF tool · UK & US

Markdown is plain text with light formatting, used by GitHub, Obsidian, Notion imports, static site generators and many AI tools. This converter reads the selectable text in your PDF and writes a .md file with # headings based on text size, - or numbered lists, and paragraphs with broken lines joined. Characters that would accidentally trigger Markdown formatting, such as asterisks, underscores and a leading #, are escaped so your text displays as written. Tick Start each PDF page on a new page to mark page boundaries with an HTML comment. Tables become Markdown tables and pictures are embedded as data URIs; the page layout is not converted. Choose all pages or a range. Scanned PDFs need PDF OCR first. The conversion runs in your browser.

Accepted inputs

  • PDF

Outputs

  • Markdown (.md)

How to use the PDF to Markdown

  1. Open the PDF you want in Markdown.
  2. Enter a page range, or leave the box empty for every page.
  3. Tick Start each PDF page on a new page to mark page boundaries in the file.
  4. Click Convert and download the .md file.

Frequently asked questions

Which Markdown features does the output use?

Headings with #, bulleted lists with -, numbered lists with 1., and plain paragraphs. Page boundaries, if you ask for them, are marked with an HTML comment that most Markdown viewers hide.

Are tables converted to Markdown tables?

Yes. Tables laid out in aligned columns become pipe-style Markdown tables, with empty cells left empty. Complex tables with merged cells may need tidying by hand.

Why are some characters preceded by a backslash?

They are escaped on purpose. Characters such as *, _, [ and a # at the start of a line would otherwise turn into formatting, so a backslash keeps them as plain text.

Is PDF to Markdown good for AI and LLM prompts?

Yes. Markdown keeps headings and lists while staying compact, which helps language models follow the structure of a document. Remove repeated headers and footers first for the best results.

Can I convert a scanned PDF?

Not directly. The converter needs selectable text and stops if there is almost none. Run the PDF through PDF OCR first, then convert it to Markdown.

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