How Do You Convert a PDF to XML?
You convert a PDF to XML by adding it to QuickCatPDF's PDF to XML converter and clicking Convert to XML. The file has a document element with one page element per page, holding heading, paragraph, list, table and image elements in reading order.
The PDF is converted in your browser and never uploaded. It's free, with no sign-up and no watermark.
How to Convert a PDF to XML With QuickCatPDF
Converting to XML takes four steps.
- Click Select PDF files or drop your PDFs on the page (up to 20).
- Tick Include word positions if you need the position of every word.
- Type a range in Pages if you only need part of the PDF.
- Click Convert to XML, then download the file.
What Does the XML Look Like?
The element set is small and the same for every PDF.
<document source="report.pdf" title="Annual Review 2026" pageCount="4" units="pt">
<page number="1" width="595.3" height="841.9">
<heading level="1">Annual Review 2026</heading>
<paragraph>This review covers the year…</paragraph>
<list ordered="false">
<item level="0">Customers increased by 25 percent</item>
</list>
<table>
<row><cell>Region</cell><cell>Q1</cell></row>
</table>
<image x="72" y="410" width="144" height="60"/>
</page>
</document>| Element | Holds |
|---|---|
| document | source, title, pageCount |
| page | number, width, height (points) |
| heading | level 1 to 6 |
| paragraph, list/item, table/row/cell | Text in reading order |
| image | Position and size of a picture |
| words/word | With Include word positions: x, y, width, height, font, size |
In our test, a 4-page report became 5.6 KB of well-formed XML in about half a second, and a standard XML parser read the title heading, the list items and every table row.
What Can You Do With It?
XML suits systems that already work with it: document management and publishing systems, XSLT transformations, archives and older integrations. Special characters are escaped and invalid control characters removed, so the file always parses.
For tables only, PDF to Excel gives a spreadsheet, and for text with headings in a simpler format, use PDF to Markdown.
Frequently asked questions
Is PDF to XML free?
Yes, free with no sign-up, no watermark and no limit on files.
Is my PDF uploaded?
No, it's converted by your browser and nothing is sent to a server.
Is the XML valid?
Yes, it's well-formed UTF-8 XML. There's no schema file, but the element set above is fixed.
Can I get JSON instead?
Yes, PDF to JSON writes the same structure as JSON. For tables only, use PDF to CSV, and every other format is on the PDF Converter.
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