using IronPdf; // Disable local disk access or cross-origin requests Installation.EnableWebSecurity = true; // Instantiate Renderer var renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer(); // Create a PDF from a HTML string using C# var pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf("<h1>Hello World</h1>"); // Export to a file or Stream pdf.SaveAs("output.pdf"); // Advanced Example with HTML Assets // Load external html assets: Images, CSS and JavaScript. // An optional BasePath 'C:\site\assets\' is set as the file location to load assets from var myAdvancedPdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf("<img src='icons/iron.png'>", @"C:\site\assets\"); myAdvancedPdf.SaveAs("html-with-assets.pdf");

using IronPdf; using System; // Step 1. Creating a PDF with editable forms from HTML using form and input tags // Radio Button and Checkbox can also be implemented with input type 'radio' and 'checkbox' const string formHtml = @" <html> <body> <h2>Editable PDF Form</h2> <form> First name: <br> <input type='text' name='firstname' value=''> <br> Last name: <br> <input type='text' name='lastname' value=''> <br> <br> <p>Please specify your gender:</p> <input type='radio' id='female' name='gender' value= 'Female'> <label for='female'>Female</label> <br> <br> <input type='radio' id='male' name='gender' value='Male'> <label for='male'>Male</label> <br> <br> <input type='radio' id='non-binary/other' name='gender' value='Non-Binary / Other'> <label for='non-binary/other'>Non-Binary / Other</label> <br> <p>Please select all medical conditions that apply:</p> <input type='checkbox' id='condition1' name='Hypertension' value='Hypertension'> <label for='condition1'> Hypertension</label><br> <input type='checkbox' id='condition2' name='Heart Disease' value='Heart Disease'> <label for='condition2'> Heart Disease</label><br> <input type='checkbox' id='condition3' name='Stoke' value='Stoke'> <label for='condition3'> Stoke</label><br> <input type='checkbox' id='condition4' name='Diabetes' value='Diabetes'> <label for='condition4'> Diabetes</label><br> <input type='checkbox' id='condition5' name='Kidney Disease' value='Kidney Disease'> <label for='condition5'> Kidney Disease</label><br> </form> </body> </html>"; // Instantiate Renderer var renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer(); renderer.RenderingOptions.CreatePdfFormsFromHtml = true; renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf(formHtml).SaveAs("BasicForm.pdf"); // Step 2. Reading and Writing PDF form values. var FormDocument = PdfDocument.FromFile("BasicForm.pdf"); // Set and Read the value of the "firstname" field var FirstNameField = FormDocument.Form.FindFormField("firstname"); FirstNameField.Value = "Minnie"; Console.WriteLine("FirstNameField value: {0}", FirstNameField.Value); // Set and Read the value of the "lastname" field var LastNameField = FormDocument.Form.FindFormField("lastname"); LastNameField.Value = "Mouse"; Console.WriteLine("LastNameField value: {0}", LastNameField.Value); FormDocument.SaveAs("FilledForm.pdf");

USING IRONPDF

C# Convert PDF to Text (Code Example)

Updated February 8, 2024

This article outlines the process for .NET developers to convert PDF files into TXT format for more efficient access.

How to Convert PDF to Text File using C#

Download Convert PDF to Text C# library
Create a New Project in Visual Studio
Install Library to your Project
Open the PDF document using the PdfDocument.FromFile function
View Output text extracted

Topics Covered in Tutorial

IronPDF
Steps to Create PDF Files Programmatically
Step 1: Create a C# Project
Step 2: Install the IronPDF Library
- Method 1: NuGet Package Manager
- Method 2: NuGet Package Manager Console
- Method 3: Using the DLL File
Step 3: Add the IronPDF Namespace
Step 4: Convert PDF to Text
- Output
Conclusion

IronPDF

IronPDF is a .NET library for PDF generation. It is a native .NET library and does not rely on external DLL or other tools. IronPDF is a cross-platform library written in C# and .NET that offers all the functionality required to work with PDF documents. It contains document rendering, form editing, text extraction, file encryption as well as other features. All of these operations can be performed through an intuitive API that has been extensively tested on various platforms such as Windows Forms, WPF, ASP.NET MVC, etc.

The current release of IronPDF provides simple access to these features:

PDF generation
PDF encryption
PDF form fields with templates and validation logic
Text extraction from PDFs (OCR)
Fillable forms

Read-only access to the document internals (view, navigation, annotations):

Access to the metadata and document properties (title, keywords, author, subject):

IronPDF also contains some additional helper classes that help with converting HTML documents into fully formatted PDF files with text extraction. IronPDF provides very simple APIs to convert PDF to a text file.

Let's start with how to use the IronPDF library to convert a PDF document to a Text file.

Steps to Convert PDF Document to Text File

The first step is to create a C# project in Visual Studio. You can choose any C# Application template according to your needs. For simplicity purposes, this tutorial will use the Console Application template. You can use an already existing C# project for converting PDF to TXT files.

Step 1: Create a C# Project

Create a C# project in Visual Studio or open an existing project. The latest version of Visual Studio is recommended for smooth working. Follow the given steps to create a C# Project in Visual Studio.

Open Visual Studio.
Select C# Console Application template or open an existing project.
Give a proper name to the project.
Select the .NET Framework version 6.0. This is the latest and most stable framework of .NET, but you can choose any other .NET Framework according to your needs.

Step 2: Install the IronPDF Library

IronPDF also features an easy installation process which speeds up development time as well as reduces confusion. The IronPDF library offers multiple ways to install:

Using NuGet Package Manager
Using NuGet Package Manager Console
By DLL File

Method 1: NuGet Package Manager

To use NuGet Package Manager, follow the given steps to open the Package Manager Tab.

Open the C# project and click on Tools > NuGet Package Manager > Manage NuGet Packaged for the solution.

C# Convert PDF to Text (Code Example), Figure 0: Navigate to the NuGet Package Manager Navigate to the NuGet Package Manager

Now go to the Browse tab and search for IronPDF.
Select IronPDF from the search results and click on Install. This will install the IronPDF library allowing the project to be used with the IronPDF library.

C# Convert PDF to Text (Code Example), Figure 1: IronPdf package from the search result of the NuGet Package Manager IronPdf package from the search result of the NuGet Package Manager

Method 2: NuGet Package Manager Console

Installation of the IronPDF library with Package Manager Console is the easiest way. Follow these simple steps:

Open the Package Manager Console.
Write the following line in the console and hit enter. This will immediately install the IronPDF library.

Install-Package IronPdf

C# Convert PDF to Text (Code Example), Figure 2: The installation progress shown in the NuGet Package Manager Console UI The installation progress shown in the NuGet Package Manager Console UI

Method 3: Using a DLL file

You can download the DLL file from the Iron Software website. Once the download is complete, use it in your project as a reference.

Visit the installation page for a more detailed installation guide.

Installation for the IronPDF library is now complete. The following steps will guide you to convert a PDF file into a text file.

Step 3: Add the IronPDF Namespace

To use IronPDF, it is necessary to add the IronPDF namespace to every code file. Write the following line of code at the top of every related code file. It will enable you to use the features of IronPDF in your program.

using IronPdf;

using IronPdf;

Imports IronPdf

VB C#

Step 4: Convert the PDF Document to a Text file

Now we have to convert the PDF file to a TXT file or extract only text. So, write the following sample code into your code file:

using IronPdf;
using System.Drawing;

// Extracting image and text content from PDF Document

// Open a 128-bit encrypted PDF
using PdfDocument pdf = PdfDocument.FromFile("encrypted.pdf", "password");
// Get all text to put in a search index
string allText = pdf.ExtractAllText();
Console.WriteLine(allText);

using IronPdf;
using System.Drawing;

// Extracting image and text content from PDF Document

// Open a 128-bit encrypted PDF
using PdfDocument pdf = PdfDocument.FromFile("encrypted.pdf", "password");
// Get all text to put in a search index
string allText = pdf.ExtractAllText();
Console.WriteLine(allText);

Imports IronPdf
Imports System.Drawing

' Extracting image and text content from PDF Document

' Open a 128-bit encrypted PDF
Private PdfDocument As using
' Get all text to put in a search index
Private allText As String = pdf.ExtractAllText()
Console.WriteLine(allText)

VB C#

First, open the PDF document using the FromFile function from the PdfDocument class. In the parameters, pass the file name and password (if any). After that, use the ExtractAllText function to extract all text from the PDF file and store it in a variable named allText. Following that, display the output text in the console

Output

C# Convert PDF to Text (Code Example), Figure 3: The extracted text from the PDF document The extracted text from the PDF document

This is the output text extracted by the IronPDF. It is the same text as seen on the PDF file, showcasing that the accuracy of the IronPDF is very precise.

Conclusion

This article shows how to easily extract text from PDF files using IronPDF .NET PDF library. This was accomplished by only writing a few lines of code and with a high percentage of accuracy. Additionally, IronPDF also has many useful features such as HTML to PDF conversion, PDF formatting tools, and numerous more core PDF features that are imperative for PDF editing. IronPDF also eliminates the dependency on Adobe Acrobat.

IronPDF is free for development purposes and also offers a free trial for production testing. IronPDF provides a variety of pricing plans that you can get according to your needs. The price of IronPDF is relatively significantly less than its competitors. With pricing variation from individual to large companies, it proves to be a compelling purchase with impressive performance.

C# Convert PDF to Text (Code Example), Figure 4: The pricing plans for Iron Software's Suite The pricing plans for Iron Software's Suite

In addition, Iron Software offers a suite of five Iron Software packages for the price of just two. Please visit the licensing page to get more details.

< PREVIOUS
Save Byte Array to PDF C# (Code Example)

NEXT >
How to Scan Multiple Pages into One PDF File