Convert HTML to text and keep only the words
Turn an HTML file into a text file online. No account needed.
or drop your HTML anywhere on this page
HTML → TXT
What stays and what goes
To convert HTML to TXT, drop your .html or .htm file on the tool above and press Convert to TXT. You get a plain .txt file named after yours, so article.html comes back as article.txt, with the words of the page and none of its tags.
Every word comes through in reading order, and letters such as é, £ and € stay intact, because the file is saved as UTF-8 (the standard text encoding). The layout does not: fonts, colours and pictures are left out, and so is the code inside script and style blocks. That is why this HTML to text converter grades the route Words only.
| In the HTML file | In the .txt file |
|---|---|
| Headings and paragraphs | One line each, with no blank line between them and no wrapping |
| Line breaks | Kept, so a new line starts where the page started one |
| Bulleted and numbered lists | One item per line, indented, with a • bullet or its number |
| Tables | One row per line, with a tab between cells |
| Links | The words stay; the web address is dropped |
| Pictures | Left out, along with their alt text (the description written for them) |
| Scripts and styles | Their code is left out, and scripts do not run |
| The title in the browser tab | Left out |
How to convert HTML to TXT
- 1Select or drop your HTML file
Nothing uploads until you press convert.
- 2Choose your options
We show the route and its fidelity grade up front.
- 3Download your text file
Then it is deleted after 24 hours, automatically.
A document as markup. Opens in a browser, edits in anything.
Just the words. No fonts, no layout, no arguments.
You keep every word but lose the layout: fonts and images are dropped, and text in columns comes out one column after another.
Converting HTML code you have copied
This page converts files: there is no box to paste code into. If you have HTML code on your clipboard, from an email template, a website editor or a developer tool, save it as a file first:
- Open a plain text editor, such as Notepad on Windows, or TextEdit on a Mac after choosing Format, then Make Plain Text.
- Paste the code and save it with a name that ends in .html, such as page.html. If the editor offers to add .txt, keep .html.
- Drop the file on the tool above and press Convert to TXT.
Choose UTF-8 if the editor asks how to save the text. In our tests a UTF-8 file came out right whether or not its code named the encoding. A file saved in the older Windows-1252 encoding came out right only when it said so in a meta charset tag; without one, é and ï turned into question marks.
Plain text, Word or PDF?
Plain text suits places that take only text: a form, a code comment, a search index or a program that reads the words. If the formatting matters, pick a format that keeps it:
- Convert HTML to Word for a document you can edit. In our test the headings, bold and italic text, lists, table and links all came through, and the route is graded Good enough, since CSS layout and scripts do not.
- Convert HTML to PDF to keep the look on A4 pages, with links you can still click.
- Convert HTML to ODT for LibreOffice Writer, or convert HTML to RTF for a word processor that takes RTF. Both kept the headings, lists, table and links in our test.
Going the other way, convert text to HTML to turn a .txt file into a web page. For a Rich Text document rather than a web page, convert RTF to text instead.
Questions people ask
How do I convert HTML to text?
Select or drop your .html or .htm file on this page; nothing uploads until you press convert. There is nothing to set, so press Convert to TXT and download the .txt file. Three conversions a day are free, each file up to 25 MB, with no account.
Is HTML to TXT the same as HTML to text?
Yes. A .txt file is a plain text file, so the two searches ask for the same thing: the words of your HTML without its tags, in a file any text editor opens.
Can I paste HTML code instead of uploading a file?
Not on this page, which has no paste box. Paste the code into a plain text editor, save it with a name that ends in .html, then drop that file here.
Does it accept .htm files?
Yes. An .htm file is the same kind of file as an .html one and converts the same way: notes.htm comes back as notes.txt.
What happens to links in the HTML?
The words of each link stay in the text, and the web address behind them is dropped, email links included. A web address typed out in the text itself stays, because it is part of the words.
Why are accented letters question marks in my text file?
Your HTML file was saved in an older encoding and its code does not say which. Save it again as UTF-8, or add a meta charset tag that names its encoding, then convert it again.
Is converting HTML to Text free?
Yes. Up to 25 MB and three conversions a day are free, with no account. Pro and Business lift the file limit to 100 MB and remove the daily cap.
What happens to my files?
Both your HTML and the Text we produce are deleted 24 hours after each conversion, automatically. Try again and Continue to another tool start a new conversion, with its own 24 hours. Nothing is used for training and no human looks at your documents.
Will the Text look exactly like the HTML?
This pair grades as “Words only”. We show the exact route and that grade before you convert, so there are no surprises about what survives the trip.
Do I need to install anything?
No. Nothing to install. Pick or drop a file here, it's converted on our servers, and you download the result.
How large can my file be?
25 MB on the free plan, and 100 MB on Pro and Business.
Can I convert several files at once?
On Pro and Business, yes: add up to 100 files before converting. The free plan converts one file at a time.
