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How to Extract Text from PowerPoint - 4 Best Ways

by Rachel Jones 2026-02-02

PowerPoint files often contain important text spread across slides, speaker notes, and even inside images. Copying everything manually takes time, especially when you need to edit or reuse content in bulk. That's why many users search for ways to extract text from PPT quickly and accurately.

This guide covers five practical methods, from simple built-in options to advanced AI tools. Whether you have a standard PPT or image-based slides, you'll find solutions for single files or batch text extraction.

Part 1. Quick Comparison -- Choose the Right Method

Part 2: How to Extract Text from PowerPoint to Word

Part 3: How to Extract Text from PPT Images -- Advanced OCR

Part 4: How to Extract Text from PPT -- Specific Sections

Part 5: How to Extract Text from PPTX with Python

Part 6: How to Extract Text from PPT Online with AI Tool

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Part 1. Quick Comparison -- Choose the Right Method

Different tools work better for different situations. The table below helps you quickly decide how to extract text from PowerPoint based on your file type and goal.

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Which Method Should You Use

• For full presentations: Converting the file to Word is the easiest structured way to extract text from PowerPoint while keeping content organized.
• For image-heavy slides: OCR-based tools like PDNob are better because they can extract text from image-based PPT and scanned content.

• For a few lines or slides: Copy and paste is still the fastest and simplest solution.

Part 2: How to Extract Text from PowerPoint to Word

This is one of the easiest ways to extract text from PPT while keeping most of the written content editable. Microsoft PowerPoint has a built-in feature that sends slide text directly to Word.

Steps to Extract Text from PowerPoint to Word

• Open Your PPT File

Launch Microsoft PowerPoint and open the presentation you want to work with.

• Click the File Tab

In the top-left corner, click File to open the backstage menu.

• Choose Export

From the left panel, select Export. This shows different ways to convert or share the presentation.



• Select "Create Handouts"

Click Create Handouts. This option is designed to send slide content into Microsoft Word.

• Click "Create Handouts" Button Again

A new window will pop up titled Send to Microsoft Word.



• Choose a Page Layout

Select how you want the slides to appear in Word. Common options include:

• Notes next to slides
• Blank lines below slides
• Outline only (best if you mainly want text)

• Select "Paste" or "Paste Link"

Under Add slides to a Microsoft Word document, choose:

• Paste → Creates a static copy

• Paste link → Keeps the Word file connected to the PowerPoint



• Click OK

Word will open automatically with your presentation content converted into a document.

Part 3: How to Extract Text from PPT Images -- Advanced OCR

PowerPoint slides saved as image-based PDFs cannot be edited or copied normally, and standard tools cannot detect text within images. PDNob solves this by letting you directly edit, search, and select text within PPT content.

For scanned PDFs or image-based NotebookLM PDFs, PDNob's AI-powered OCR can convert text into fully editable content while preserving the original layout, formatting, and multi-page structure. This reduces manual fixes and keeps slides professional, outperforming basic screenshot OCR tools.

Key Advantages of PDNob PDF Editor

• High-Accuracy OCR -- Recognizes 99%+ of text in image-based slides, even with dense content or mixed fonts.
• Layout & Formatting Retention -- Preserves paragraphs, columns, and visual structure.
• Multi-Language Support -- Works with 16+ languages for multilingual presentations.
• Editable Output -- Text can be edited in PDNob or exported to Word, Excel, or PPT.
• Batch Processing -- Convert multiple PDFs at once, saving time on large projects.

Steps to Extract Text from PPT Using PDNob PDF Editor

• Launch PDNob PDF Editor on your computer. Go to Create PDF > From File to open your PowerPoint presentation.



• Click on the "Perforn OCR" tab or tool, select the language, and choose "Scan to Editable Text" to recognize text in images and slides.



• Once processed, you can directly copy the text, adjust text boxes, or modify headings and charts directly.



• When your edits are finished, use the "Convert" feature to export the file to PowerPoint, Word or other format, making the text fully extractable.

Part 4: How to Extract Text from PPT -- Specific Sections

Sometimes you don't need the whole presentation. You may only want a paragraph, a bullet list, or notes from one slide. In these cases, the simplest way to extract text from PPT is by using copy and paste.

Steps to Extract Text from PPT via Copy & Paste

• Open Your Slide

Open your PowerPoint file and go to the slide with the text you want to copy.

• Select the Text

Click inside a text box and drag to highlight the text, or press Ctrl + A to select all text in that box.

• Copy the Text

Right-click the highlighted text and select Copy, or press Ctrl + C.



• Open Destination File

Open Word, Notepad, or any other application where you want to paste the text.

• Paste the Text

Right-click and select Paste, or press Ctrl + V. Use Paste as Text Only if you want to remove formatting.

Tips for Better Results

• Select all text on a slide quickly: Click on the slide background, then press Ctrl + A to select multiple text boxes at once.
• Use unformatted paste: This removes fonts, colors, and spacing issues.
• Check for image-based text: If the text is part of a picture, you'll need OCR to extract text from PPT images copy and paste won't detect it.

Related topic:

How to Edit NotebookLM Slide Decks PDF

Part 5: How to Extract Text from PPTX with Python

For handling multiple presentations or automating text extraction, using Python with the python-pptx library is a powerful solution. It allows you to extract text from PowerPoint programmatically, including slides, tables, and speaker notes. This method is ideal for batch processing or developers working with large volumes of PPTX files.

Steps to Extract Text from PPTX with Python

• Install python-pptx: Open your terminal or command prompt and run:
• Load a Presentation

  prs = Presentation('example.pptx')

• Iterate Through Slides and Shapes

  for slide in prs.slides:

  for shape in slide.shapes:

  if shape.has_text_frame:

  print(shape.text) # Extract text from text boxes

  elif shape.has_table:

  for row in shape.table.rows:

  for cell in row.cells:

  print(cell.text) # Extract text from tables

• Extract Speaker Notes (Optional)

  for slide in prs.slides:

  notes = slide.notes_slide.notes_text_frame.text

  print(notes)

• Handle Errors

  pip install python-pptx

• Import the Library:

  from pptx import Presentation

  If some files are corrupt or unreadable, wrap your code in try/except blocks to skip problematic files.

Part 6: How to Extract Text from PPT Online with AI Tool

For users who prefer online solutions, AI-based tools like PowerPoint Slides Text Extractor make it easy to extract text from PPT online quickly, without installing software. This method works well for all text in slides, including titles, bullet points, and text boxes. It's fast, secure, and ideal for one-time or small projects.

Steps to Extract Text from PPT Online with AI Tool

• Upload Your PowerPoint File

  Go to the AI tool website and select your .pptx file. You can drag and drop the file or click to browse. The tool supports files up to 10MB.


• Extract Slides Text

  Once uploaded, the tool automatically reads all slides and extracts the text from titles, bullet points, and text boxes.


• Review Extracted Text

  The AI organizes the content by slide, making it easy to view or copy directly from the interface.

• Download the Text

Export your extracted text in your preferred format: plain text, CSV, or JSON, ready for further analysis or editing.

Conclusion

Extracting text from PowerPoint has never been easier with multiple methods available for different needs. Whether you are copying a few slides, using Word, Python, AI tools, or OCR for image-based slides, you can get the text quickly and efficiently. For image-based PowerPoint or PDFs, PDNob PDF Editor is recommended for its accurate OCR, fast processing, and layout preservation.

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