How to use the pdf attachment extractor
- Choose a PDF or drop it on the box. The file is read on your device and is not uploaded.
- Read the count of embedded files and their total size.
- Study the table. Each file is listed with its name, a type worked out from its first bytes, its size, and where it was found: attached to the document or to a page.
- Save one file with its Save button, or save all of them in one zip.
Where embedded files come from
A PDF can carry other files inside it. Some are attached to the document as a whole and appear in the attachments panel of a viewer. Others are paperclip or push pin icons on a page. Business documents sometimes carry a spreadsheet of the data, and electronic invoices can carry a data file in XML. The tool finds both kinds and treats them the same way. To pull the pictures out of a PDF instead, use the Extract Images From PDF tool.
Safe handling
The tool never opens or runs an attachment. It lists each file with a guess at its type from the first bytes, which can differ from what the name suggests, and it saves a copy only when you ask. Treat saved files like any download from an unknown sender: programs and office documents with macros can do harm when you open them. Names are cleaned so that folders and control characters cannot sneak into a saved file name, and two files with the same name get different names in the zip.
How the file is read
The PDF is opened with the PDF.js library inside your browser. Files up to 25 MB and 500 pages are accepted, and the attachments are held in memory while you work, with a limit on their total size. PDFs with a password cannot be opened, and the tool does not try to guess or remove passwords. A test file with two document attachments and one page attachment returned all three files byte for byte, matching the three embedded file streams found in the raw file.
More tools for reading inside a PDF
To look inside a PDF in other ways, try the PDF Link Extractor.
Assumptions and limits
- The PDF is not password protected and has no more than 500 pages.
- Attachments are saved exactly as stored, without being opened, converted or cleaned.
- The file type shown is a guess from the first bytes, and it can be wrong or unknown.
- At most 200 embedded files are listed, and their total size is limited by browser memory.
- Nothing is uploaded, and everything happens in your browser.
Frequently asked questions
Why does a PDF contain other files?
The PDF format allows files to be embedded, for example source data, supporting documents, or an invoice's data file. They are stored inside the PDF and can be saved out with a tool like this one.
Is it safe to open the saved files?
That depends on the file. The tool does not run or inspect them for harm. Open files from sources you do not trust only with care, and keep your security software on.
What if the list is empty?
Then this PDF has no embedded files that the tool can find. Most PDFs have none. Pictures and fonts used on the pages are not attachments, so for pictures use the Extract Images from PDF tool.
Why are file names changed?
Names are cleaned of characters that are unsafe in file names and made unique inside the zip. If two attachments have the same name the second gets a number added, such as report (2).csv.