How to Extract Text While Preserving Layout from a PDF Using PDF.co and Zapier

Step 1: Create the Zap

Sign in to Zapier and create a new Zap.

For the trigger application, select Google Drive.

Choose New File in Folder or New File in Folder (Realtime), depending on which event is available for your account.

Connect your Google Drive account, then select the drive and folder that will receive the source PDFs.

Test the trigger and choose a sample PDF. Confirm that Zapier retrieves the file and its associated information.

If the folder might contain other file types, add a Filter by Zapier step. Continue only when the filename ends in .pdf or the MIME type is application/pdf.

Step 2: Add the PDF.co Action

Add an action and select PDF.co.

Choose PDF to Anything Converter as the action event.

Connect your PDF.co account through OAuth:

1. Select Connect a new account.
2. Sign in to PDF.co if prompted.
3. Review and authorize Zapier’s access.
4. Return to Zapier and select the connected PDF.co account.

Do not copy an API key into the Zapier connection.

Step 3: Configure Text Extraction

Configure the PDF.co action using the following settings:

• Output Format: Select Plain Text.
• Source File URL: Map the PDF file from the Google Drive trigger.
• Page Selection: Leave blank to process the entire document, or enter the required page indexes.
• OCR Language: Select the document language if the PDF contains scanned pages.
• Enable Line Grouping: Enable this when it improves the grouping of related lines or table content.
• Unwrap: Leave disabled when preserving the document’s original line structure is important.
• File Name: Enter an output name if the field is available.

PDF.co uses zero-based page indexing. For example:

• 0 processes the first page.
• 0,2 processes the first and third pages.
• 0-2 processes the first three pages.
• An empty value processes all pages.

When mapping a Google Drive file, use the file output supplied by the trigger whenever possible. If PDF.co requires a URL, use a direct downloadable URL that PDF.co can access—not a browser preview page.

Step 4: Preserve the Text Layout

To retain the original spacing and text arrangement more closely, enter the following in Custom Profiles:

{
  "TrimSpaces": true,
  "PreserveFormattingOnTextExtraction": true
}

This setting asks PDF.co to preserve formatting during text extraction. The result is still a plain-text file, so it cannot retain visual elements such as fonts, colors, images, or exact PDF positioning. It can, however, preserve spacing and line structure more effectively than unformatted extraction.

If your downstream system needs structured text objects, coordinates, font information, or tables rather than a plain-text representation, select an appropriate JSON or CSV output instead.

Step 5: Test the PDF.co Action

Test the action and review the response.

A successful result should include:

• A successful status
• The output filename
• A URL for the extracted text
• The number of processed pages
• Information about the output link’s expiration

Open the output URL and verify that:

• The expected pages were processed.
• The text is readable.
• Lines and columns are arranged acceptably.
• OCR recognized text from scanned pages correctly.
• Important content is not missing.

If the document contains scanned pages and little or no text is returned, verify the OCR language and try a suitable OCR configuration.

Step 6: Save or Use the Extracted Text

PDF.co returns a temporary output URL. Add another Zapier action if the extracted text must be kept permanently.

For example, add Google Drive – Upload File and configure:

• Drive: Select the destination drive.
• Folder: Select the output folder.
• File: Map the result URL returned by PDF.co.
• File Name: Enter a name ending in .txt.

You can also pass the extracted text to another step, such as:

• Google Sheets
• Gmail
• A database
• A document-management system
• An AI analysis or summarization action

Use a different destination folder from the trigger folder to avoid accidentally starting the Zap again.

Step 7: Publish the Zap

After every step tests successfully, publish or turn on the Zap.

Upload a new PDF to the monitored folder and confirm that:

1. The trigger detects the PDF.
2. PDF.co extracts the text.
3. The output preserves an acceptable amount of the original layout.
4. The extracted text is saved or sent to the intended destination.

Step 8: Troubleshooting

PDF.co Cannot Access the PDF

Map the actual file output from the trigger. If you must use a URL, confirm that it is directly downloadable and does not require an interactive sign-in.

Text Is Missing from Scanned Pages

Select the appropriate OCR language. If necessary, configure a custom OCR mode through Custom Profiles.

Columns Are Not Preserved Correctly

Try enabling line grouping. For complex tables, consider CSV or JSON output instead of plain text.

Unwanted Spaces Appear in the Output

Keep TrimSpaces enabled. If the remaining spaces are required to preserve columns, avoid additional cleanup that collapses all whitespace.

The Output Link No Longer Works

PDF.co result links are temporary. Add a storage action to copy the text file to Google Drive, Dropbox, or another permanent destination.