document → any format
Convert plain text files
Nothing but characters. The simplest file format and the most compatible. A sequence of bytes, usually UTF-8, with a line ending convention. There is no header and no metadata. That is the format you end up with when something needs to look the same on every screen, which is why it keeps turning up in stripping a document down to just its words. From here it can become PDF, MD, HTML, DOCX and RTF, and the conversions run on your own device, so the file is never uploaded anywhere.
At a glance
- Source
- TXT
- Where it runs
- Your browser
- Cost
- Free, unlimited
- Account
- Not needed
Converter
Universal converter
Drop one or more plain text files.
or select plain text
Your file never leaves this browser
About the format
Nothing but characters.
A sequence of bytes, usually UTF-8, with a line ending convention. There is no header and no metadata.
- Where it is good
- Any device on earth can open it
- Searchable, greppable and scriptable
- Zero conversion risk, because there is nothing to lose
- Where it falls short
- No formatting of any kind
- Encoding matters — an old file may be in a legacy code page
- Line endings differ between Windows and Unix
- You will find it on
- Programmers, terminal users, every text editor ever
The thing people miss
Converting a PDF to plain text is often the only way to search inside a document you cannot otherwise edit.
Where it goes next
Stripping a document down to just its words
Real jobs
What people are actually doing with TXT
Stripping a document down to just its words
Preparing text for a system that rejects everything else
Checking what is actually inside a file
How to
Converting a TXT file
- 01
Add your plain text
Drag the file onto the drop zone, or tap to browse. Only one file is needed.
- 02
Pick what you want it to become
Every format this file can become is listed in the switchboard. Pick one and the converter opens with sensible defaults already set.
- 03
Download the result
Your converted file downloads straight to your device. Nothing was uploaded, so there is no file to delete from a server afterwards.
Also available
TXT converts into
Questions
TXT conversion questions
How do I convert TXT to another format?
Add your plain text file to the drop zone, choose the target format, adjust the options if you want to, and press convert. The finished file downloads immediately.
Is my file uploaded anywhere?
For most conversions, no. They run entirely inside your browser tab. The file is read from your device and the result is written back to your device.
Do I need an account?
No. There is no signup step, no email capture and no usage counter. Open the tool, convert the file, close the tab.
Will there be a watermark or a page limit?
Neither. On-device conversions produce a clean file with no branding and no cap on pages, size or number of files.