Convert HTML to Plain Text (TXT)
To extract plain text from HTML, upload your .html or .htm file, choose TXT and convert. Tags, <script> and <style> blocks are removed; headings and paragraphs are separated by blank lines, list items keep • bullets or 1. numbers, and table cells are separated by tabs. The output is a UTF-8 .txt file with a byte order mark, so Notepad and Excel read accented characters correctly.
- Free, no sign-up
- Files deleted within 30 minutes
- Up to 100 MB
Files are permanently deleted from our servers within 30 minutes.
How to convert HTML to TXT
Upload your HTML file
Drag your HTML file onto the upload area or browse for it (up to 100 MB).
Keep TXT as the target
TXT is already selected in the menu; you can pick another format if you need one.
Convert and download
Press “Convert” and the download of the converted file starts automatically.
What is preserved?
Kept
- All visible text, in document order
- List structure (• bullets, 1. numbering, nested indentation)
- Table rows, with cells separated by tabs
- Indentation inside <pre> blocks
Changed
- Headings and paragraphs are separated by blank lines
- <hr> rules become a line of dashes
Not carried over
- Link URLs (only the link text remains)
- Images, colours and all CSS formatting
- Scripts and style blocks
When to use it
Word counts, translation and text analysis
When you only need the readable words of a web page or HTML email, feed the tag-free TXT output straight into a translation tool, word counter or text analysis script without cleaning up markup first.
Getting an HTML table into a spreadsheet
Because table cells are separated by tab characters, you can copy the table rows from the TXT output and paste them into Excel or Google Sheets, where each value lands in its own cell.
Limitations to know
- No URL input; upload a saved .html or .htm file.
- Content loaded later by JavaScript is not in the saved file, so it is not extracted.
About the formats
What is HTML?
HTML (HyperText Markup Language) is the markup language web pages are written in. Headings, paragraphs, lists, tables, links and images are defined with tags, and CSS controls how they look. An .html file opens in any web browser without extra software and reflows to the screen width instead of using fixed pages. External stylesheets, web fonts and remote images are separate resources and do not travel with the file unless they are embedded in it.
What is TXT?
A TXT file contains characters only, with no formatting, images or page layout information. It opens in every program from Notepad to code editors and is the smallest and most portable kind of document. Whether accented and non-Latin characters display correctly depends on the character encoding; UTF-8, today's standard, handles virtually every language. Plain text is ideal for searching, archiving and moving content between systems.
Frequently asked questions
Are link URLs kept in the text output?
No. The converter writes only the visible link text and drops the address in the href attribute. If you need the URLs as well, use the HTML to Markdown converter instead; links are kept there as [text](url), and the result is still a plain text file you can read in any editor.
Can I paste an HTML table into Excel from the output?
Yes. Each table row is written on its own line with cells separated by tab characters, so pasting those lines into Excel or Google Sheets puts each value into a separate column. Merged cells and nested tables are flattened into simple rows, so they may need some manual tidying.
What is the byte order mark at the start of the file?
The byte order mark (BOM) is an invisible marker that tells programs the file is UTF-8. Windows Notepad and Excel use it to display accented and non-Latin characters correctly. Most editors hide it, although some command-line tools may show it as a few odd characters at the very start.
Is converting HTML to TXT free?
Yes, completely free. There is no account, subscription or watermark — just upload your file and convert it.
Is my file safe and when is it deleted?
Your file is transferred over HTTPS and stored on our server under a random code. The upload and the output are permanently deleted within 30 minutes, and the download link only works for whoever holds your unique code.