PDF to Markdown Converter
Upload a PDF and get clean Markdown output instantly. ParseJet detects headings, lists, tables, and code blocks in your PDF and converts them to properly formatted Markdown — perfect for documentation, README files, and RAG pipelines.
Drop a file here or browse
Accepts PDF files
Free — 3 requests/day, no signup. for 300 credits/month free.
How it works
Upload your PDF
Drop a PDF file above or click to browse. Supports any PDF — text-based, scanned, or mixed.
Convert to Markdown
ParseJet detects the document structure — headings, lists, tables, code blocks — and maps each element to Markdown syntax.
Copy or use the API
Copy the Markdown output directly, or automate with the ParseJet API to convert PDFs at scale.
Key features
What makes this pdf to markdown converter stand out.
Structure-aware conversion
Detects headings (H1–H6), ordered and unordered lists, blockquotes, and code blocks — not just raw text.
Table preservation
Converts PDF tables into proper Markdown table syntax with aligned columns and headers.
Scanned PDF support
Automatically applies OCR to image-based pages, then structures the extracted text as Markdown.
Multi-page documents
Handles entire books, reports, and manuals — no page limit. Returns one continuous Markdown document.
Clean output
Strips headers, footers, page numbers, and watermarks. You get content, not noise.
Use cases
Common scenarios where this tool saves you time.
Documentation migration
Convert legacy PDF documentation into Markdown for GitBook, Docusaurus, or your docs-as-code workflow.
RAG pipeline ingestion
Feed clean Markdown into your retrieval-augmented generation pipeline. Structured Markdown gives LLMs better context than raw text.
Content repurposing
Turn PDF whitepapers, research papers, or ebooks into blog posts, wiki pages, or Notion documents.
GitHub README creation
Convert a product spec or design doc PDF into a README.md without manual formatting.
Claude & ChatGPT context
Convert PDFs to Markdown before pasting them into Claude or ChatGPT. Markdown keeps the structure intact and uses far fewer tokens than raw PDF text dumps.
Batch conversion in Python
Loop over a folder of PDFs and convert each to a .md file with a few lines of Python or JavaScript — no pandoc, marker, or native libraries to install.
Automate with the API
Use the same tool programmatically. Works with any language — just HTTP.
curl -X POST https://api.parsejet.com/v1/parse/auto/file \ -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \ -F "file=@document.pdf" # Response includes Markdown-formatted text with headings, tables, etc.
import httpx
resp = httpx.post(
"https://api.parsejet.com/v1/parse/auto/file",
headers={"Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"},
files={"file": open("document.pdf", "rb")},
)
print(resp.json()["text"]) # Markdown with headings, tables, etc. const formData = new FormData();
formData.append("file", pdfFile);
const res = await fetch("https://api.parsejet.com/v1/parse/auto/file", {
method: "POST",
headers: { Authorization: "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" },
body: formData,
});
const { text } = await res.json(); // Markdown-formatted string Want to automate this?
ParseJet API gives you the same parsing power via a single HTTP endpoint. No ffmpeg, no poppler, no tesseract — just one API call.
Frequently asked questions
How do I convert a PDF to Markdown?
Upload your PDF above or use the API: POST /v1/parse/auto/file. ParseJet automatically extracts the document structure and returns clean Markdown with headings, lists, tables, and code blocks preserved.
Does it preserve tables and headings?
Yes. ParseJet detects headings (H1–H6), ordered/unordered lists, tables, and code blocks in your PDF and maps them to the corresponding Markdown syntax.
Can I convert scanned PDFs to Markdown?
Yes. ParseJet uses OCR to extract text from scanned PDFs and image-based pages, then structures the result as Markdown.
Is it free? What are the limits?
Yes. You get 3 free conversions per day with no signup. Create a free account for 300 credits per month. Paid plans start at $19/month with larger file size limits (up to 200 MB) and higher quotas.
Can I automate PDF to Markdown conversion?
Yes. Use the ParseJet API to convert PDFs to Markdown programmatically. Works with Python, JavaScript, cURL, or any language that supports HTTP requests.
How do I convert a PDF to Markdown for Claude or ChatGPT?
Convert the PDF here, then paste the Markdown into your conversation or attach it as a file. Markdown preserves headings and tables that AI assistants use to understand document structure, and it consumes fewer tokens than raw extracted text. For agents and automated workflows, call the API directly — see the code examples above.
Does it convert PDFs with images?
Yes. Pages that mix text and images are handled automatically: the text is converted to Markdown, and image-only regions (like scanned sections or embedded figures with text) are processed with OCR so their content appears in the output.
Is ParseJet an alternative to Microsoft MarkItDown?
Yes. MarkItDown is Microsoft's open-source Python library for converting files to Markdown — it requires a Python environment and local dependencies. ParseJet does the same conversion through a hosted API, so it works from any language, in serverless functions, and in browser tools like this page, with OCR for scanned PDFs built in.
How do I convert PDF to Markdown in Python?
Send the file to the API with httpx or requests: POST /v1/parse/auto/file with your PDF, and the "text" field of the JSON response contains the Markdown. No pdfminer, PyMuPDF, or pandoc to install — see the Python example above for a complete snippet.
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