What happens when you convert DOC to TXT
- The DOC is opened by LibreOffice, the open-source office suite, on our conversion server and saved as UTF-8 plain text. Every paragraph keeps its own line, and every language and alphabet is kept.
- Plain text has no formatting, so fonts, bold and italic, tables, images, headers and footers are left out. Table cells come out as lines of text.
- This conversion runs on our server: the file is uploaded, converted, and deleted together with the result as soon as the result has been sent back to you. Nothing is kept. Files up to 25 MB are accepted.
How to convert DOC to TXT online
- Press "Choose DOC files" and select one or more files, or drag them onto the box. Files up to 25 MB each can be converted.
- There are no settings to choose: the converter keeps everything the target format can hold.
- Press "Convert to TXT". The file is uploaded to our conversion server, converted in a few seconds, and deleted together with the result as soon as the result is sent back.
- Save each TXT with its download button. Our server has already deleted both your DOC and the TXT by then.
Why convert DOC to TXT?
DOC files usually come from older Word files, templates and documents from legacy systems. People convert them to TXT because plain text opens everywhere and is easy to search, copy, edit and paste into other tools.
In short, DOC is good at what it was made for, and TXT is the more practical choice when the file has to open, upload or print somewhere else. DOC opens in Word, Google Docs, Pages and LibreOffice Writer, while TXT opens in every browser, text editor and phone.
How to convert DOC to TXT on Windows, Mac, iPhone and Android
On Windows
Open this page in Chrome, Edge or Firefox, drag your DOC files in from File Explorer, and press Convert. Each TXT is saved to your Downloads folder.
On a Mac
Safari, Chrome and Firefox all work. Drag the DOC files from Finder onto the drop zone and the TXT files land in Downloads.
On iPhone and iPad
Open the page in Safari and tap Choose DOC files. You can pick from Photos or from the Files app. The converted TXT appears in Files, in the Downloads folder.
On Android
Open the page in Chrome, tap Choose DOC files and pick them from Files or your gallery. The TXT is saved to the Download folder, where any file manager can find it.
Best settings for DOC to TXT
There are no settings: the DOC is saved as UTF-8 plain text, the encoding every program reads, with one line per paragraph.
If you want to keep headings, lists and links, convert to DOCX first and then to HTML or Markdown, which have room for that structure.
DOC vs TXT: the differences
| DOC | TXT | |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Word 97 to 2003 document | Plain text |
| Type | word-processing document | document |
| Created by | Microsoft | no single author |
| First released | 1997 | 1963 |
| Compression | Lossless | Lossless |
| What it holds | formatted text, images and tables in a binary file | characters only, with no formatting |
| In a browser | opens in Word, Google Docs, Pages and LibreOffice Writer | opens in every browser, text editor and phone |
| Common uses | older Word files, templates and documents from legacy systems | notes, logs, extracted text and anything that must open everywhere |
| MIME type | application/msword | text/plain |
About DOC and TXT files
What is a DOC file?
DOC is the binary Word format used before 2007. Unlike DOCX it is not a ZIP of XML files, so its contents cannot be read without a program that understands the binary layout.
What is a TXT file?
A TXT file holds nothing but characters: no fonts, images or layout. Modern text files are usually UTF-8, which covers every language.
DOC to TXT not working? Common problems
- "Files up to 25 MB can be converted." Server conversions have a size limit. Compress the images in the document, or split it, and try again.
- "The conversion took too long and was stopped." Very long or complex documents can exceed the time limit. Split the document and convert the parts.
- The document will not convert. It may be password protected, damaged, or saved in a newer or unusual version of the format.
Convert DOC to TXT from the command line
This page uses LibreOffice. Installed on your computer, it converts from the command line without opening a window:
soffice --headless --convert-to txt input.docConverting on your own computer keeps the file entirely local, which is worth it for very large or very sensitive documents. For everything else, the converter on this page does it without installing anything.
DOC to TXT converter FAQ
Will I lose quality converting DOC to TXT?
The words are kept exactly; formatting, tables and images are not, because plain text has none.
Why is the TXT a different size from the DOC?
Much smaller: plain text holds only the words, without formatting, images or the document structure around them.
Are my DOC files uploaded?
Yes, for this conversion. A faithful DOC to TXT conversion needs LibreOffice, the open-source office suite, which cannot run in a browser. The file travels over an encrypted connection, is converted in a private temporary folder, and is deleted together with the TXT as soon as the result has been sent back to you. We do not keep, read or share it.
Can I convert several DOC files to TXT at once?
Yes. Select or drop as many files as you like; they are converted one after another and each gets its own download button.
How do I open a TXT file?
TXT opens in every browser, text editor and phone. TXT is common for notes, logs, extracted text and anything that must open everywhere.
Is this DOC to TXT converter free?
Yes. There is no sign-up and no watermark. Because this conversion uses our server, there is a fair-use limit of 25 MB per file and a number of files per hour, which stops the service being overloaded.
Can I convert DOC to TXT on my phone?
Yes. It works in Safari on iPhone and iPad and in Chrome on Android. The conversion happens on our server, so it is as fast on a phone as on a computer; the TXT is saved to your Downloads folder.