How to use the powerpoint text extractor
- Choose a .pptx file or drop it on the box. It can be up to 25 MB, and it is read on your device.
- Leave Speaker notes ticked to include the notes under each slide, and keep a heading with the slide number if you want to find your way around the text.
- Check the counts of slides, words and slides with notes, then read the text in the box.
- Use Copy text to paste it elsewhere, or Download .txt to save it as a plain text file named after your presentation.
What the tool takes from a presentation
A .pptx file is a ZIP archive of XML parts. The tool opens the archive, reads the list of slides in the order they appear in the presentation (not the order of the file names inside the archive), and pulls out the text of each one. Titles, text boxes, bulleted lists and table cells are all included. A table row becomes one line with tab characters between the cells, so it pastes neatly into a spreadsheet.
Speaker notes live in separate parts that each slide points to. When the box is ticked, the notes appear after the slide text under a "Notes:" label. Slide numbers, date fields and the small slide-picture box on a notes page are skipped, because they are not content you wrote.
What it leaves out
Only text is extracted. Pictures, charts, SmartArt diagrams, shapes without text, animations, embedded video, comments and formatting such as bold or colors are not included, and text inside a picture stays in the picture. If a slide has no text, the text file says so. Slides marked as hidden in PowerPoint are included and labeled "hidden slide", since their text is usually still wanted.
Older .ppt files and password-protected presentations are not .pptx files and cannot be opened here; the tool says so. Open them in PowerPoint or another program and save a copy as .pptx first. For Word files, see the Word Text Extractor, and to pull text out of a PDF, the PDF to Text tool.
More file tools
To convert other files or inspect an image, try the EPUB Text Extractor, ICS to CSV Converter and Image Histogram Viewer.
Assumptions and limits
- The file is a standard .pptx presentation without a password. Files up to 25 MB and 2,000 slides are read.
- Slides appear in the order of the presentation's own slide list.
- Only text is extracted; layout, pictures and formatting are not kept.
- The file is processed in your browser and is never uploaded, and nothing is stored after you close the page.
Frequently asked questions
Why is some text on my slide missing?
Text that is part of a picture, a chart or a SmartArt diagram is not stored as slide text, so it cannot be extracted. Text in ordinary text boxes, titles and tables is.
Does it work with Google Slides or Keynote?
Yes, if you first export the presentation as a .pptx file from that program. The tool reads the .pptx format only.
Why are the speaker notes on a different line from the slide?
Each slide's notes are stored in a separate part of the file. They are placed right after the slide text, under a "Notes:" line, so the two stay together.
Can I pull the text from many presentations at once?
Not in one step. Choose one file at a time. Each result can be copied or saved, and choosing another file replaces the one shown.