How to Read PDF Files in C#

This article will use IronPDF for .NET, a C# PDF library to read PDF files.

How to Read PDF Files using IronPDF

1. Download Visual Studio, if not already done. Set up the environment and install IronPDF Library.
2. Use PdfDocument.FromFile method to open and load the desired PDF file.
3. Utilize IronPDF's ExtractAllText method to retrieve the content.
4. Analyze or manipulate the extracted text as needed.
5. Print the extracted text in the Console to read.

IronPDF

IronPDF, a robust PDF reader library for C#, empowers developers to effortlessly work with PDF documents. With its extensive features and capabilities, IronPDF simplifies the task of PDF document handling, allowing users to read, extract, and manipulate PDF content with ease. Whether you're automating document processes, extracting data and images for analysis, or creating PDFs from scratch, IronPDF provides a comprehensive set of tools to streamline these tasks.

This article explores the world of efficient PDF processing in C# using IronPDF, showcasing its versatility and value as an essential tool for developers in their software development journey.

Creating a New Visual Studio Project

Before diving into the coding aspect, let's commence by setting up a fresh Visual Studio C# Console Application project. This project will serve as a dedicated workspace for both development and practical examples.

1. To initiate this process, launch Visual Studio and create a new project by navigating to the "File" menu and selecting "New" followed by "Project."

Navigate to the Create Project dialog in Visual Studio

2. This action will prompt a new window to appear, providing you with the opportunity to specify the project templates. For simplicity purposes, opt for the "Console Application" template, and proceed by clicking the Next button, thoughtfully positioned at the lower-left corner of the window.

Create a new project in Visual Studio

3. In the ensuing window, you'll be prompted to designate a name for your project and specify the desired project location. Once these details are in place, click the Next button to continue.

Configure the project

4. In this step, select your preferred target framework and conclude the project creation process by clicking the Create button.

.NET Framework selection

With your project now firmly established, the next critical step involves the installation of IronPDF.

Installing IronPDF

IronPDF offers a multitude of options for downloading and installing the PDF library. For the sake of this guide, the focus will be on the installation of IronPDF using the NuGet Package Manager, a proficient and widely adopted method.

1. Within Visual Studio, navigate to the "Tools" menu and elegantly hover your cursor over the "NuGet Package Manager" option.
2. From the extended menu, select "NuGet Package Manager for Solutions."

Navigate to NuGet Package Manager

3. Upon selecting this option, a new window will open. Within this refined window, navigate to the "Browse" menu and type "IronPDF" into the search bar.
4. The screen will then display the IronPDF packages available. To proceed, select the latest package from the list and execute this choice by clicking on the "Install" option.

Search and install the IronPdf package in NuGet Package Manager UI

For those who favor a more command-line approach, the NuGet Package Manager Console provides an elegant avenue. Simply open this console, input the following command, and press "Enter":

Install-Package IronPdf

You also have access to the option of directly acquiring the package from the NuGet website link.

Read PDF files Using IronPDF

This section will show how you can open and read complete PDF files using C# programming language with the help of IronPDF.

using IronPdf;
using System;

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        // Set the license key for IronPDF if available
        IronPdf.License.LicenseKey = "Your_License_Key_Here";

        // Load the PDF document from a specified file path
        var pdf = PdfDocument.FromFile("document_scaled_compressed.pdf");

        // Extract all text from the loaded PDF
        string text = pdf.ExtractAllText();

        // Output the extracted text to the console
        Console.WriteLine(text);
    }
}

using IronPdf;
using System;

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        // Set the license key for IronPDF if available
        IronPdf.License.LicenseKey = "Your_License_Key_Here";

        // Load the PDF document from a specified file path
        var pdf = PdfDocument.FromFile("document_scaled_compressed.pdf");

        // Extract all text from the loaded PDF
        string text = pdf.ExtractAllText();

        // Output the extracted text to the console
        Console.WriteLine(text);
    }
}

Imports IronPdf
Imports System

Friend Class Program
	Shared Sub Main()
		' Set the license key for IronPDF if available
		IronPdf.License.LicenseKey = "Your_License_Key_Here"

		' Load the PDF document from a specified file path
		Dim pdf = PdfDocument.FromFile("document_scaled_compressed.pdf")

		' Extract all text from the loaded PDF
		Dim text As String = pdf.ExtractAllText()

		' Output the extracted text to the console
		Console.WriteLine(text)
	End Sub
End Class

1. Importing Necessary Libraries

To get started, you need to import the required namespaces. In the above code example, the IronPdf namespace is imported, which contains the essential functions for working with PDFs. Additionally, the System namespace is also imported for general system-level operations.

using IronPdf;
using System;

using IronPdf;
using System;

Imports IronPdf
Imports System

2. Setting the IronPDF License Key

IronPDF requires a valid license key to be used in a production environment. In the code example, there's a line where the license key should be set. However, in your provided code, the license key is left empty "". Ensure you replace the empty string with a valid license key from IronPDF when using it in a production environment.

IronPdf.License.LicenseKey = "Your_License_Key_Here";

IronPdf.License.LicenseKey = "Your_License_Key_Here";

IronPdf.License.LicenseKey = "Your_License_Key_Here"

3. Loading a PDF Document

The next step is to load and parse the PDF file. In the provided code, the PdfDocument.FromFile method is used to load a PDF by filename "document_scaled_compressed.pdf" and assign it to the pdf variable. This PDF file will be used for text extraction.

var pdf = PdfDocument.FromFile("document_scaled_compressed.pdf");

var pdf = PdfDocument.FromFile("document_scaled_compressed.pdf");

Dim pdf = PdfDocument.FromFile("document_scaled_compressed.pdf")

4. Extracting Text from the PDF Document

IronPDF provides a straightforward way to extract text from the loaded PDF document. The ExtractAllText method can extract all the text content from each page of the PDF and store it in a string variable named text, which works as converting PDF to text.

string text = pdf.ExtractAllText();

string text = pdf.ExtractAllText();

Dim text As String = pdf.ExtractAllText()

5. Displaying Extracted Text

The final step is to display the extracted text. In the code, Console.WriteLine will print and write the extracted text to the console. This is a useful method for debugging or presenting the text to the user.

Console.WriteLine(text);

Console.WriteLine(text);

Console.WriteLine(text)

OUTPUT Text extracted from PDF file

The extracted text from the PDF file

Conclusion

This article has guided developers through the process of effectively working with PDF files in C# using the IronPDF library. It began by illustrating the setup of a dedicated Visual Studio project and proceeded with the straightforward installation of IronPDF via the NuGet Package Manager. The article then provided a step-by-step explanation of how to import the necessary libraries, set the IronPDF license key, load a PDF file, extract text content, and display the extracted text from all the pages. You can also save the extracted text into a TXT file using C#.

With its user-friendly approach and comprehensive features, IronPDF serves as an indispensable tool for automating document processes, data extraction, and PDF creation from HTML, URLs, and images, making it an invaluable asset for enhancing software development projects involving PDF file handling in C#.

The complete article on Read PDF files using IronPDF can be found on the following how-to page. The code example on the C# PDF reader is also available. For more code examples using IronPDF, please visit this example page. IronPDF also offers extensive documentation to answer questions of all the developers and provide full hands-on support. IronPDF offers a free trial license so the users can explore its full functionality before deciding to purchase a perpetual license.