How to Extract Text From PDFs Using IronPDF

In this comprehensive tutorial, we delve into the process of extracting text from PDF files using IronPDF and C# in Visual Studio 2022. To begin, ensure you have the latest versions of both IronPDF and Visual Studio installed, which you can easily do via the NuGet Package Manager. Once set up, navigate to the program CS file where the code is already written.

We start by importing the IronPDF library. Next, create an instance of the Chrome PDF renderer and load the PDF document from a specified file path using the PDFDocument.FromFile method. The ExtractAllText method is then employed to extract text from the PDF, which is subsequently output to the console. Running the project, you will notice that IronPDF effectively preserves the original text formatting, including line breaks, paragraphs, and special characters. This makes it a preferred choice for handling PDF files in C# projects. It is important to note that the accuracy of text extraction can vary based on the PDF's complexity, especially with images, tables, or complex layouts. This tutorial provides a clear path to integrating IronPDF into your projects for reliable text extraction, ensuring you can handle various file complexities efficiently.

using System;
using IronPdf; // Importing the IronPdf library

class Program
{
    static void Main(string[] args)
    {
        // Create an instance of the ChromePdfRenderer from IronPdf
        var Renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();

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

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

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

using System;
using IronPdf; // Importing the IronPdf library

class Program
{
    static void Main(string[] args)
    {
        // Create an instance of the ChromePdfRenderer from IronPdf
        var Renderer = new ChromePdfRenderer();

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

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

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

Imports System
Imports IronPdf ' Importing the IronPdf library

Friend Class Program
	Shared Sub Main(ByVal args() As String)
		' Create an instance of the ChromePdfRenderer from IronPdf
		Dim Renderer = New ChromePdfRenderer()

		' Load the PDF document from a specified file path
		Dim document = PdfDocument.FromFile("path/to/your/pdf-file.pdf")

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

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

Further Reading: How to Extract Text From PDFs Using IronPDF