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DOCX to TXT Converter

Convert Word documents to plain text (TXT) online for free. Extract clean, UTF-8 text in seconds, with no sign-up or software required.

  • Free to use
  • No file stored beyond 1 hour
  • Encrypted over TLS 1.2/1.3
  • No watermarks

Drag and drop your files here or click to upload.

Maximum file size is 1GB

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How it works

Three steps to your converted file

Everything happens in your browser tab - upload, pick a format, download. The heavy lifting runs on our servers.

  1. 01

    Upload your file

    Drag and drop, click to browse, or paste a URL. Batches take up to 20 files at once - 230+ input formats across video, audio, image, document, and archive types.

  2. 02

    Choose an output format

    Pick from over a hundred output formats. Filter by category or search by name - every option is open to everyone, no account needed.

  3. 03

    Convert & download

    Hit Convert and grab your download link moments later. Originals are erased when the job completes; results are cleared within about an hour.

DOCX to TXT

Why convert DOCX to TXT?

DOCX and TXT are both document formats: DOCX is best for documents you want to keep editing, TXT for plain text without any formatting.

  • Where TXT works best

    Plain text without any formatting.

DOCX vs TXT: what's the difference?

PropertyDOCXTXT
TypeDocumentDocument
EditableYesYes
Opens inMicrosoft Word, Google Docs, Pages and LibreOfficeEvery computer and phone
Best forDocuments you want to keep editingPlain text without any formatting

What is a DOCX file?

Word Open XML Document

Developed By
Microsoft
Initial Release
2006
MIME Type
application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document

The DOCX format is the default document standard for Microsoft Word 2007 and newer, based on the Office Open XML (OOXML) specification standardized under ISO/IEC 29500 and ECMA-376. It functions as a compressed ZIP container that packages separate XML files (such as document.xml, styles.xml, and settings.xml) alongside media assets. This modular XML architecture allows for improved data recovery and smaller file sizes compared to legacy binary DOC files, while explicitly prohibiting the storage of VBA macros.

How to open a DOCX file

DOCX is natively supported by Microsoft Word 2007+ on Windows and macOS. Due to its status as an ISO standard, it has broad compatibility with non-Microsoft ecosystem tools; it can be opened and edited by Apple Pages, Google Docs, LibreOffice Writer, and Apache OpenOffice. Furthermore, because it is a ZIP archive, users can rename the extension to .zip to extract and inspect the internal XML structure and embedded media assets manually.

What is a TXT file?

Plain Text File

Standardized By
American Standards Association (ASCII)
Initial Release
1963 (ASCII)
MIME Type
text/plain

A TXT file is a standard plain text document that contains unformatted text, free of styling information such as fonts, bolding, or layout parameters. It stores data as a sequence of characters encoded in standards such as ASCII, UTF-8, or UTF-16, making it universally readable across all computing platforms. The format relies solely on control characters for line breaks (CR/LF) and spacing, serving as the fundamental data type for code source files, logs, and simple documentation.

How to open a TXT file

TXT files possess universal native support on all operating systems. Windows opens them by default with Notepad, macOS uses TextEdit, and Linux distributions utilize editors like Gedit or Nano. Because they contain no proprietary formatting, they are also viewable in any web browser and can be imported into virtually any word processing or data management software without conversion.

More tools

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Why RunConvert

The fastest way to convert any file

Purpose-built for speed, privacy, and breadth of format support.

  • Convert DOCX to TXT in seconds

    Every DOCX to TXT conversion runs on our servers, so your device stays fast and the output quality stays intact.

  • Fast, cloud-powered

    No queue, no waiting. Files are processed on high-performance servers and returned in seconds, even for large files.

  • Secure & private

    Encrypted in transit and never shared with anyone. Uploads are erased the moment your job completes, and results shortly after.

  • Free - no account needed

    Convert without creating an account - no credit card, no trial clock. Sign in only if you want history and higher daily limits.

Developer API

Convert DOCX to TXT via API

Automate DOCX to TXT conversions in three steps: create a job, upload your file, then poll for the result.

Replace YOUR_API_KEY with your RunConvert API key. Get your free API key at runconvert.com/api.

# 1. Create job
curl -X POST https://api.runconvert.com/v3/jobs \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "tag": "docx-to-txt",
    "tasks": {
      "upload-file": {
        "operation": "import/direct/upload"
      },
      "convert": {
        "operation": "convert",
        "input": "upload-file",
        "input_format": "docx",
        "output_format": "txt"
      },
      "export-result": {
        "operation": "export/url",
        "input": "convert"
      }
    }
  }'

# 2. Upload your file (upload_url of the upload-file task in the response)
curl -X PUT "$UPLOAD_URL&filename=input.docx" --upload-file input.docx

# 3. Poll for result
curl https://api.runconvert.com/v3/jobs/$JOB_ID?include=tasks \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Common questions about converting DOCX to TXT with RunConvert.

Upload your .docx file to RunConvert, select TXT as the output format, and click Convert. The document's text is extracted into a plain .txt file, ready to download.

No - TXT is a plain-text format with no support for fonts, styling, tables, or images. Only the raw text content of the document is kept; formatting, images, and layout are removed.

Plain text files are useful when you need to paste content into a system that doesn't support rich formatting - code editors, plain-text notes apps, data-processing scripts, or older software that can't open .docx files.

Yes. RunConvert outputs UTF-8 encoded text, which preserves accented letters, symbols, and most non-English characters correctly.

Yes, RunConvert supports batch conversion - upload several .docx files and convert them all to TXT in one go.

Yes, completely free with no sign-up required, and your file is automatically deleted from our servers within a few hours of conversion.

Ready to convert DOCX to TXT?

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