HTML to Plain Text

Paste HTML markup to extract readable plain text. Preserve links as Markdown syntax or convert the full HTML to Markdown.

Last reviewed: April 2026
Reviewed by , software engineer · last updated April 2026

New to this tool? Click here for instructions

HTML Input
Plain Text Output
Paste HTML above to extract plain text.

How to Use the HTML to Plain Text Converter

To use the HTML to Plain Text Converter, follow these steps:

1. Paste your HTML markup into the input area.

2. Choose the desired mode: Extract, Preserve Links, or Markdown.

3. Click the 'Convert' button to see the plain text output.

4. Copy or download the output as needed.

When to Use the Tool in Real Workflows

This tool is ideal for various use cases, including:

1. Web scraping and content harvesting.

2. Search engine optimization (SEO).

3. Accessibility auditing.

4. Generating plain-text content for email clients or Markdown editors.

5. Removing HTML markup for text analysis tools.

How It Works

The HTML to Plain Text Converter uses the browser's built-in DOMParser API to parse HTML safely without executing any JavaScript. The parsed document's body text content is then extracted using DOM traversal. This method handles all valid HTML correctly, preserving meaningful whitespace and converting common HTML elements to plain text or Markdown syntax as specified.

Tips, Edge Cases, or Limitations

1. **Client-Side Processing**: The tool processes HTML on your browser, ensuring your data remains private and secure.

2. **Complex HTML**: While the DOMParser approach handles most valid HTML, it may struggle with extremely malformed HTML or nested tags.

3. **Preserve Links Mode**: This mode is particularly useful for extracting article content while keeping hyperlinks intact.

4. **Markdown Conversion**: This mode provides a comprehensive conversion, making it suitable for use in Markdown editors and documentation systems.

5. **Reverse Operation**: For converting Markdown back to HTML, consider using the HTML to Markdown Converter or Markdown Preview tool.

Frequently Asked Questions

No, the tool processes HTML on your browser, ensuring your data remains private and secure.
In Extract mode, all HTML tags are stripped, preserving meaningful whitespace. In Preserve Links mode, anchor tags are converted to Markdown link syntax, and the rest of the HTML is stripped. In Markdown mode, common HTML elements are mapped to their Markdown equivalents, and all remaining HTML tags are stripped.
This tool uses the browser's built-in DOMParser API to parse the HTML into a document object, then reads the text content while stripping all tags. Paragraph breaks are preserved by detecting block-level elements before extraction.
Preserve Links mode converts anchor tags to Markdown link syntax: [link text](url). The rest of the HTML is stripped to plain text. This is useful for extracting article content while keeping hyperlinks intact.
Markdown mode maps common HTML elements to their Markdown equivalents. Heading tags (h1 through h6) become the corresponding number of hash symbols. Bold (strong, b) becomes double asterisks. Italic (em, i) becomes single asterisks. Unordered lists (ul/li) become dash-prefixed items. Ordered lists (ol/li) become numbered items. Code and pre blocks become backtick-fenced sections. Blockquotes become greater-than-prefixed lines. All remaining HTML tags are stripped.

Quick reference

HTML to Plain Text Conversion Guide
HTML Element Plain Text Output Conversion Notes Common Use Case
<p>Hello</p> Hello Paragraph tags removed Formatting text blocks
<h1>Title</h1> Title Heading tags stripped Document titles
<ul><li>Item 1</li></ul> Item 1 List tags removed Unordered lists
<a href="link">Click</a> Click Hyperlinks stripped Text-only content
<strong>Bold</strong> Bold Emphasis tags removed Stylized text
<em>Italic</em> Italic Italicization tags stripped Text formatting