# PDF to Markdown with original pages

> Convert PDF text or scans in your browser, review the result and retain the original PDF and page images.

Canonical: https://pocketorbitnotes.app/tools/pdf-to-markdown
Language: en-US
Published: not provided
Last updated: 2026-10-18

## Workflow

1. Choose a PDF or try the original sample. Select the pages you need and use recognition options when appropriate.
2. Compare the retained page with the editable Markdown. Correct names, numbers, reading order and uncertain recognition.
3. Download Markdown + originals as a ZIP. Keep its files together, then follow the Pocket Orbit import guide to continue in a workspace.

## Choose the right output

Need words without Markdown? Use PDF to text. For a photo or screenshot, use image OCR. Each tool lets you review the result before saving.

- [Extract PDF text as TXT](https://pocketorbitnotes.app/tools/pdf-to-text)
- [Read text from an image](https://pocketorbitnotes.app/tools/image-to-text)

## Convert PDF text and scanned pages locally

One PDF up to 50 MiB; select up to 200 pages per job. Digital text is extracted first. Image-only pages use local OCR assets; recognition can also be requested explicitly. Initial worker and language downloads contain no document material.

## How the Markdown output is structured

The Markdown starts with a title from the filename and a link to the original PDF. Each selected page has a page heading, its transcription, a page-image link and extraction/review notes. These are navigation aids, not a recovered hierarchy of the source document.

## Review and continue

Inspect every page against the editable Markdown. Download the ZIP to retain images, source PDF and a versioned import manifest. Markdown alone cannot contain its linked files.

## Frequently asked questions

### Can I convert a scanned PDF to Markdown?

Yes. Scanned pages can use OCR in this browser with locally hosted recognition resources. Choose English, German, French, Italian or Spanish. Recognition needs review, especially for handwriting, columns and equations.

### Will images, tables and handwriting be preserved?

The ZIP keeps rendered page images and the unchanged original PDF. Extracted text is a separate transcription. Complex tables and equations may not retain their structure, and PDF handwriting does not become editable Pencil ink.

### Why download the ZIP instead of only Markdown?

Markdown contains relative links to page images and the original PDF. The ZIP includes those files and an import manifest. A .md download or copied text cannot include its linked attachments.

### Is this tool free, and does my PDF get uploaded?

Browser conversion is free and needs no account. Document contents and passwords remain in browser memory. Parser and recognition resources download from this site as needed. Mac workspace access is a separate Pro offer.

### Are the generated page headings the original PDF headings?

No. The title comes from the filename, and page headings label the selected original pages. Review the extracted text and add meaningful headings yourself. Page-level extraction methods and review flags describe the conversion, not a quality certificate.

## Related pages

- https://pocketorbitnotes.app/tools/pdf-to-text
- https://pocketorbitnotes.app/tools/image-to-text
- https://pocketorbitnotes.app/features/pdf-to-markdown-workspace
- https://pocketorbitnotes.app/learn/pdf-to-markdown-with-images
- https://pocketorbitnotes.app/help/import-pdf-into-workspace
- https://pocketorbitnotes.app/research/pdf-conversion-method
- https://pocketorbitnotes.app/tools/markdown-inspector
- https://pocketorbitnotes.app/features/markdown-editor

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