How to Convert HTML to Plain Text

What this converter does

HTML to Plain Text converts supplied HTML text into readable plain text. It can remove HTML-style tags, remove script and style blocks with their contents, preserve selected structural line breaks, keep matching link information, and decode supported HTML entities. This is useful when you need text content without markup for notes, drafts, or further text cleanup. The input should be a text value. Basic plain text and basic markup-containing text are accepted successfully.

Step-by-step instructions

Prepare the HTML as a text value. Include the markup and the visible text you want to convert. If the source contains scripts or styles, decide whether their removal should remain enabled; this option starts enabled.
Paste or enter the source in the text input. The input is optional, so leaving it empty is allowed.
Choose whether to preserve line breaks. With this option enabled, paragraph, division, heading, list-item, table-row, blockquote, and break elements are converted into line breaks. When it is disabled, those special line-break conversions are not applied, but the tags are still removed and their contents remain.
Choose whether to preserve links. With link preservation enabled, a matching link that has a double-quoted href keeps its link text and adds the href in brackets. The link is not fetched or checked; the information must already be present in the supplied text.
Run the conversion and review the plain-text result. Script and style blocks, including their contents, are removed when script removal is enabled. Supported named entities and decimal numeric character references are decoded.
Check the spacing before using the result. Three or more line breaks are reduced to two, two or more spaces are reduced to one, and leading and trailing whitespace is removed.

How to read the result

Read the result as text content rather than as a preserved HTML document. Tags are removed while surrounding textual content is retained. Structural elements can create line breaks when preservation is enabled, but repeated blank lines and repeated spaces are normalized afterward. This means the output may be more compact than the source.

A matching double-quoted link can appear as its visible text followed by the address in brackets. Other link syntax is not established by the reviewed behavior, so inspect those cases rather than assuming they will be preserved in the same way. Entity decoding covers a defined set, including several punctuation, spacing, currency, copyright, registered, trademark, and decimal numeric references; it is not a promise that every HTML construct or entity is interpreted like a full HTML parser.

An empty input completes successfully and returns empty plain text. For non-empty use, provide a text value. Truthy non-string values are not established as supported and may fail during conversion. If you need another text-focused cleanup step after conversion, Text Cleaner is a related option.

Worked example

A writer needs the visible wording from a short HTML release note without its heading and paragraph tags.

Enter <h2>Release notes</h2><p>Updated today.</p> as the text value, keep line-break preservation enabled, and run the conversion.

The result has two lines: Release notes followed by Updated today.

Limitations

Support for truthy non-string values, every HTML construct, and link syntax beyond matching double-quoted href links is not established. Links are not fetched or validated.

Common errors

Cause: passing a truthy value that is not text. Correction: provide the HTML as a text value before starting the conversion.

FAQ

What happens when the HTML input is empty?

If the input is empty, the conversion succeeds and returns empty plain text. For a non-empty conversion, provide a text value.

Can I control line breaks in the plain-text output?

If line-break preservation is enabled, selected block-style elements and break elements become line breaks. If it is disabled, those special conversions are skipped, while tags are still removed and their contents remain.

How are links handled?

If link preservation is enabled and the link has a double-quoted href, the link text is retained and the href is added in brackets. The link is not fetched or validated.