When you need to convert a batch of PDF documents into searchable and copyable TXT text files, opening each file individually wastes a lot of time. This article focuses on various office scenarios involving batch PDF-to-TXT conversion, explaining the specific method using HeSoft Doc Batch Tool to complete the conversion. This includes accessing the PDF tool, selecting PDF to TXT conversion, building a task list by adding files or importing files from a folder, confirming the records, setting the save location, and starting the process. The article also describes the file format changes before and after processing and common considerations, helping users efficiently extract text from PDFs.
Many office users encounter this need: they have a batch of PDF materials and need to extract the text inside, saving it as TXT text. For example, files like project specifications, user manuals, weekly reports, meeting minutes, emergency contact lists, and personal checklists are originally in PDF format, which is suitable for reading and distribution; but once you need to perform content searches, keyword screening, batch system imports, or secondary editing, TXT format is often more convenient.
If there is only one file, manual copying is acceptable; but if there are a dozen or dozens of PDFs in the same folder, opening each one to save as or copy will significantly reduce efficiency. This article will demonstrate how to use the office software " HeSoft Doc Batch Tool " to batch convert multiple PDFs to TXT text. This software is designed for batch office file processing, suitable for handling repetitive, rule-based document tasks, helping users reduce manual operations.
Applicable Scenarios: Why Batch Convert Multiple PDFs to TXT
PDF and TXT serve different purposes in office work. PDF emphasizes stable layout, suitable for sending to others for reading; TXT emphasizes lightweight content, suitable for searching, copying, editing, and program reading. Therefore, when your work goal shifts from "reading PDF" to "processing text content," PDF to TXT conversion becomes necessary.
The following scenarios are particularly suitable for batch conversion:
- Building a Knowledge Base: Convert PDF manuals, training materials, and policy documents to TXT for easy unified import into a knowledge base or search system.
- Organizing Meeting and Project Materials: Convert materials like Meeting_Notes.pdf and Project_Specifications.pdf to text for easier summarization and copying of key points.
- Checking Contract or Clause Content: After converting Terms_and_Conditions.pdf to TXT, you can find keywords and compare clauses faster.
- Archiving Historical Documents: While retaining the originals of a large number of PDFs, generate additional TXT copies to improve future retrieval efficiency.
- Preparing Text Analysis Material: If subsequent tasks involve word frequency statistics, text cleaning, or content extraction, TXT is usually easier to process than PDF.
It should be noted that TXT is a plain text format, not equivalent to Word document formats like doc or docx, nor is it the same as Excel spreadsheets. It is more suitable for preserving text content rather than retaining complex formatting.
Effect Preview: The Files Before Conversion Are All PDF Format
From the pre-processing screenshot, you can see that there is a group of PDF files in the folder, with a PDF-style icon and a .pdf file extension. The files include Emergency_Contacts.pdf, Meeting_Notes.pdf, Personal_Checklist.pdf, Project_Specifications.pdf, Quick_Reference_Guide.pdf, Terms_and_Conditions.pdf, User_Manual.pdf, Weekly_Report.pdf, etc.
If these files are processed one by one, you would need to open each PDF and then copy the text or convert the format. Especially when file names are long, you also need to repeatedly confirm if the saved name matches the source file. The advantage of batch processing is first adding all PDFs to the same task list, then having the software execute the conversion uniformly, avoiding repeated switching between multiple windows by the user.
Effect Preview: Getting TXT Text Files After Conversion
The post-processing screenshot shows that the same batch of files has been changed to TXT text format. The original Emergency_Contacts.pdf corresponds to the generated Emergency_Contacts.txt, Meeting_Notes.pdf corresponds to Meeting_Notes.txt, and Weekly_Report.pdf corresponds to Weekly_Report.txt. The main body of the file name remains the same, with the extension changing from pdf to txt.
This result is very suitable for subsequent organization: you can quickly find the corresponding text content based on the original file name, and you can also use system search tools to find keywords directly in TXT files. Compared to PDFs, TXT files are usually more lightweight, but it should also be noted that they will not preserve the complex layout effects of the PDF.
Step 1: Enter the PDF Tools Category in the Software
After opening " HeSoft Doc Batch Tool ", first observe the left navigation bar. The screenshot shows that the left side contains multiple tool categories, among which the one directly related to this task is PDF Tools. After clicking PDF Tools, the right side will display various PDF batch processing functions.
In the right function area, you can see functions like "PDF to Docx", "PDF to Pptx", "PDF to XPS", "PDF to Excel", "PDF to HTML Web Page". Since the goal of this article is to generate TXT plain text, you should select the "PDF to TXT" function card. The description on this card in the screenshot is "Batch convert PDF files to TXT format", which matches the current requirement.
The key to this step is selecting the correct conversion type. If you mistakenly choose PDF to Docx, the output will be a Word document; if you mistakenly choose PDF to Excel, the output will be a spreadsheet file. Only by selecting PDF to TXT will .txt text files be generated in bulk subsequently.
Step 2: Add Files or Import PDFs from a Folder
After entering the PDF to TXT page, the task name is displayed at the top of the interface, and the progress bar shows that the current stage is "Select records to be processed". This indicates that the software needs to first collect the files to be processed, forming a batch conversion list.
In the screenshot, there are two main import options at the top: Add Files and Import Files from Folder. The two are suitable for different scenarios:
- Add Files: Suitable when the number of files is small, or when you need to select PDFs from multiple locations.
- Import Files from Folder: Suitable when there is a batch of PDFs in the same folder and you need to add them all to the task list at once.
For batch PDF to TXT conversion, it is generally recommended to first place the PDFs to be processed into a dedicated folder, and then use "Import Files from Folder". This not only makes importing faster but also reduces the probability of missing files. After importing, the software will list file names, paths, extensions, creation times, modification times, and other information in a table.
Step 3: Check the PDF Records in the Task List
After importing files, don't rush to start processing. As seen in the screenshot, there are 8 records in total in the list, and the bottom also displays "Record Count: 8". Each record has a serial number, name, path, and extension. Users can confirm whether the import is correct through this information.
It is recommended to focus on checking the following:
- Record Count: Whether it matches the number of PDFs prepared for conversion.
- Extension Name: Whether they are all pdf, avoiding the mixing of other file formats.
- File Path: Whether they are from the target folder, avoiding the selection of old files or temporary files.
- File Name: Whether it includes all materials to be converted, such as User_Manual.pdf, Weekly_Report.pdf, etc.
On the far right of the table column, there is also an action column, where a delete-style button can be seen in the screenshot. If a certain PDF is found not to need conversion, it can be removed from the list. Doing so will not affect the source file itself, but only excludes it from this processing task.
Step 4: Click Next and Set the Save Location
After confirming the list is correct, click Next at the bottom. The progress bar shows the second stage is "Set Save Location", indicating that before formal processing, the output location for the TXT files needs to be specified.
When batch processing files, it's recommended to follow two principles for the save location: first, do not mix it with the source PDFs to the point where they are difficult to distinguish; second, the directory name should be clear. For example, you can create folders like "PDF to TXT Results", "TXT Output", or "Text Version Materials" next to the source folder. This way, after processing is complete, you can directly go to that folder to view the results without searching through multiple directories.
If the enterprise has a unified archiving specification, you can also create output directories based on project name, date, or department. Good save location management can avoid the risks of repeated conversions and file overwriting later on.
Step 5: Start Batch Conversion and Verify Results
After setting the save location, enter the "Start Processing" stage. After clicking start processing, the software will convert the PDF files to TXT format according to the task list. Since "PDF to TXT" was uniformly selected earlier, there is no need to set the output format for each file individually.
After the conversion is complete, open the output directory and check if the corresponding TXT files have been generated. The processed result should be similar to the preview image: the file icon changes to a text file style, and the extension is .txt. It is recommended to at least open a few of the TXT files for spot-checking to confirm that the content displays normally, especially for important project documents, contract clauses, or manual-type files.
If you need to continue editing the text later, you can open the TXT with Notepad, a code editor, or other text tools. If you need to retain formatting for typesetting, TXT may not be the best choice, and you can select functions like PDF to Docx as needed.
Common Issues and Precautions
Will converting PDF to TXT modify the original PDF?
According to the general logic of batch conversion, the conversion will generate new TXT result files, and the original PDF is usually retained as the source file. For safety reasons, it is recommended not to delete the source files before conversion, and to separate the output directory from the source file directory.
Why is the text incomplete after converting some PDFs?
If the PDF is a scanned image and contains no directly extractable text, the conversion result may be incomplete. The function shown in the screenshot is PDF to TXT and does not display OCR text recognition settings, so for scanned PDFs, confirm beforehand whether the text is selectable and copyable.
Can a TXT file retain tables and images?
It cannot be fully retained. TXT mainly preserves plain text content; images, table lines, font styles, and page layouts from the PDF are usually not retained in their original form. If the goal is to preserve the layout, a more suitable format should be chosen.
Do I need to rename the PDFs before batch conversion?
It's not a must, but it is recommended to have clear file names. Since the main body of the original file name is usually carried over after conversion, if the source file names are standardized, the generated TXT files will also be easier to manage.
Summary: Improve Document Organization Efficiency with Batch PDF to TXT
Converting multiple PDFs to TXT text in batch is most suitable for office scenarios requiring text extraction, unified archiving, quick searching, and subsequent text processing. Using " HeSoft Doc Batch Tool ", users can select "PDF to TXT" within the PDF tools, then add files or import PDFs from a folder, confirm the list, set the save location, and start processing.
Compared to manual copying one by one, batch processing can significantly reduce repetitive operations and make the output results more uniform. If you are working with a large amount of PDF material, it is recommended to first organize the source files centrally, and then use the batch PDF to TXT function to generate text version files, laying a good foundation for subsequent searching, editing, and archiving.