Extract Text from a Three Column PDF File using PDF.co and Make
We prepared this step-by-step tutorial with screenshots on how to extract text from a three-column PDF file using PDF.co and Make.
This is the screenshot of our sample source file.
![Sample Source File](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.sanity.io%2Fimages%2F2niroq9z%2Fproduction%2F8470cd73e852dc0322c56520167c800813fc7040-1077x661.png&w=3840&q=75)
Step 1: Create A Scenario
First, let’s create a Scenario. Click on the + button in the center of your Make editor.
Step 2: Google Drive App
In the New Scenario, look up the Google Drive app from the list of apps.
![Google Drive App](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.sanity.io%2Fimages%2F2niroq9z%2Fproduction%2Fb528ccfd5a46c19d4da22657caa8129c7123a87b-1365x657.png&w=3840&q=75)
Step 3: Download A File
Under the Google Drive app, select the Download a File module.
![Download A File](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.sanity.io%2Fimages%2F2niroq9z%2Fproduction%2F8ac72a74dea68074c0484302e5fc08ba1ad57135-1359x649.png&w=3840&q=75)
Step 4: Google Drive Connection
In this step, let’s connect to our Google Drive Connection.
- In the Enter a File ID field, choose the Select from the list option.
- For the Choose a Drive field, select My Drive so it returns the folder and file in this Drive.
- Under the File ID field, input the exact folder where the file is located.
![Google Drive Connection](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.sanity.io%2Fimages%2F2niroq9z%2Fproduction%2F72c44b7510297a60bbacec8acc971c317cd304be-1365x657.png&w=3840&q=75)
We are done with the first step. Now, let’s add another module to complete the Scenario.
Step 5: PDF.co App
Now add another module and choose the PDF.co app.
![PDF.co App](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.sanity.io%2Fimages%2F2niroq9z%2Fproduction%2Fcd2b37e8df983376db47838ee36476b882270341-1359x657.png&w=3840&q=75)
Step 6: Convert From PDF
In this step, choose the Convert from the PDF module. This module converts PDF pages into structured Plain Text and other formats.
![Convert From PDF](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.sanity.io%2Fimages%2F2niroq9z%2Fproduction%2F7b05933bc34e44fa1bba28a86091c768fb71bd98-1363x663.png&w=3840&q=75)
Step 7: PDF.co Connection
In this step, let’s connect our PDF.co Account to perform the action.
- In the Input Type field, select the Import a File from the URL to fetch the Google Drive file link.
- In the Input field, enter the URL of the source file from your Google Drive account.
- In Convert Type field, select value PDF to Text.
Now, we can Test and Run to make sure that there are no errors in the setup.
![PDF.co Connection](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.sanity.io%2Fimages%2F2niroq9z%2Fproduction%2F3973bf481c7c39300af3b78c05eaca64d38af201-1473x737.png&w=3840&q=75)
Step 8: Test Result
Great! The Scenario ran successfully. You can find the downloadable file URL in the output.
![Test Result](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.sanity.io%2Fimages%2F2niroq9z%2Fproduction%2F9d9ca4fef5353c5dbf11222bb3b6418b6865db8c-1361x663.png&w=3840&q=75)
Step 9: Plain Text Conversion Output
This is the plain text output of our three-column PDF file.
![Source File Output](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.sanity.io%2Fimages%2F2niroq9z%2Fproduction%2Faa185137c7f3a98226579db901bf1657fcb3c1b4-1363x709.png&w=3840&q=75)
In this tutorial, you learned how to extract text from a three-column PDF file using PDF.co and Make. You also learned how to set up the Convert from PDF in plain text which also supports other conversion formats.