Extract Embedded Files from PDF
Extract all files embedded (attached) inside a PDF document and download them individually or as a ZIP.
Drop your PDF hereTap to select a file
Supports PDF, up to 200MB
How it works
- 1Upload a PDF that contains embedded file attachments
- 2The tool scans the PDF and lists all embedded files with names and sizes
- 3Download files individually or all at once as a ZIP archive
What to do next
About Extract Embedded Files
Extract Embedded Files is the kind of utility you bookmark and reach for when you need it. Extract all files embedded (attached) inside a PDF document and download them individually or as a ZIP. It loads quickly, works on any modern browser, and produces a result you can download or copy in a single click.
The processing pipeline is straightforward: your input is parsed by Mozilla's PDF.js renderer, transformed according to the options you select, and serialised back into a downloadable result. Accepted input formats are PDF. The 200 MB per-file ceiling matches what a typical browser tab can handle without paging to disk.
Extract Embedded Files is shaped around the recurring needs of two audiences: real-estate agents bundling disclosures, who use it as a quick utility between bigger tools, and freelancers sharing scanned receipts, who use it as their primary way of getting the job done. Both groups get the same defaults and the same speed.
Because everything runs in the page, the tool scales the same way for one user or a million — there is no per-user backend cost. The page is static, the engine is the same JavaScript bundle for every visitor, and the work happens on the visitor's own device. That keeps the tool free and keeps it fast on the first interaction.
The right moment to reach for Extract Embedded Files is when you have a focused PDF document workflow job that fits inside a browser tab. Open the page, drop in the file or paste your input, choose the options that matter, and the tool returns the result.
When the job finishes, Extract Embedded Files hands you the result as `{name}-attachments.zip`. Filenames are derived from your input where possible, so a quick batch of jobs leaves you with a tidy folder rather than a pile of generic "output (3)" files. Nothing is auto-saved on Favtoo's side because nothing was ever sent there.
On limits: 200 MB per file is the ceiling. Output formats and quality settings are listed in the controls panel above, and they apply to every run.
For multi-step jobs, Extract Embedded Files sits next to Embed File in PDF, PDF Inspector, and PDF Metadata Viewer. None of them depend on each other — you can use Extract Embedded Files on its own — but together they cover the common variations of the task this page exists to handle.
Extract Embedded Files is built around steady iteration on a small set of options rather than feature creep. Every additional setting attracts a slightly different audience, but a long settings panel makes the common case slower for everyone. The current controls reflect what users of the tool actually use.
Extract Embedded Files is structured around the idea that a useful tool should be its own page. Open the page, do the work, close the tab — the page is the entire product. There is no onboarding flow because there is nothing to onboard into.
Extract Embedded Files fits the gap where opening a desktop app feels heavy and writing a script feels overkill. The page handles the common PDF document workflow task with sensible defaults so a single visit usually completes the job; for highly specialised work, a dedicated desktop application can offer more knobs to turn.
Pro tip: Extract Embedded Files works just as well in a private/incognito window as in a normal one, which is occasionally useful when you want zero browser-history footprint of the job. Another tip: if the tool ever feels slow, it is almost always because the browser tab is competing for CPU with another tab — pausing or closing the heavy ones gives the engine room to work.
When something goes wrong, the cause is usually one of three things: a malformed input, a browser that is out of memory, or a corporate proxy that is interfering with the page's static assets. The first two are easy to diagnose; the third typically requires asking your IT team to allow Mozilla's PDF.js renderer to load.
If Extract Embedded Files solved your problem, sharing the page link with someone who has the same problem is the most useful thing you can do. The catalog grows mostly through word of mouth; visitors arriving through a recommendation tend to be the ones the tool serves best.
How it works
- 1Land on the Extract Embedded Files page. The tool is ready to use the moment the page renders.
- 2Select the PDF file you want to process — drag-and-drop and the file picker both work.
- 3Pick any non-default settings you need. Most users leave the defaults alone for the first run and only revisit if the result needs tuning.
- 4Hit the run button. Mozilla's PDF.js renderer does the work in your browser tab.
- 5Save the output (`{name}-attachments.zip`) when it is ready.
- 6Repeat the process for additional inputs whenever you need to. The page stays loaded, so subsequent runs are quick.
Common use cases
- Compress a marketing deck so the email send-out finishes in seconds using Extract Embedded Files.
- Extract a specific signed page from a long contract bundle.
- Shrink a scanned contract so it fits past an email gateway.
- Split a 200-page exhibit bundle into one PDF per exhibit.
- Send a polished, print-ready PDF to a client without watermarks.
- Lock a confidential document with a password before sharing externally.
- Reorder pages of a multi-chapter scan into the correct reading order.
- Convert a bundle of forms into a single archival PDF.
- Strip blank or test pages from a scanned document.
- Combine a CV into a single application packet.
FAQ
What files can be extracted?
All files embedded as PDF attachments — Excel, CSV, XML, images, fonts, and more.
ZUGFeRD invoices?
Yes — extract the embedded XML from ZUGFeRD/Factur-X PDF invoices.
Download options?
Download files individually or all at once as a ZIP archive.
Private?
Yes — everything runs 100% in your browser. No file ever leaves your device.
No files found?
The PDF may not contain embedded files. Not all PDFs have attachments — they need to be explicitly embedded.
Font files?
Embedded fonts are listed but may have licensing restrictions on extraction.
Is there a desktop version of Extract Embedded Files?
No installation is needed. Extract Embedded Files runs as a normal web page, with no browser extension, no native helper, and no separate desktop client to download. That is partly a privacy choice — extensions can request broad permissions, while a regular page is sandboxed by default — and partly a convenience one: you can use Extract Embedded Files on any computer you have temporary access to without leaving anything installed on it.
What does the error message in Extract Embedded Files mean?
Failures usually fall into one of three buckets: the input is in an unsupported format, the input is over the size cap, or the input is structurally malformed (a truncated download, a partial export, or a stream the engine does not recognise). The first two are easy to confirm — check that your file is one of PDF and that it is below 200 MB. For the third, opening the file in its native viewer first is the fastest way to confirm the source is intact.
Where does my file actually go when I use Extract Embedded Files?
Your file is processed inside your browser by Mozilla's PDF.js renderer. The engine reads the file's bytes from your tab's memory, computes the result, and writes the result back into the tab. You can confirm what the page does by opening developer tools and watching the Network tab during a run — the requests you see are for the tool's static assets only.
Does Extract Embedded Files need an internet connection to run?
Once the page is loaded, Extract Embedded Files can complete jobs without an active internet connection — the engine is bundled with the page, so there is no per-job network call. The initial page load does require a connection (to fetch the static assets), but after that you can disconnect entirely and the tool will still work. This is a side-effect of the local-first architecture, not a deliberate "offline mode" feature.
Does Extract Embedded Files have an API?
Extract Embedded Files is a browser-only tool by design and does not expose a hosted API. The reason is the same as the privacy story: there is no Favtoo backend doing the work, so there is no service to call. If you need to script the same transformation, the underlying engine (Mozilla's PDF.js renderer) is open-source and can be used directly from your own code.
How long does Favtoo retain my data after using Extract Embedded Files?
Favtoo keeps no copy of your file because Favtoo never receives your file. Extract Embedded Files runs entirely in your browser, the input is held only in your tab's memory, and closing the tab discards it. There is no opt-in cloud history, no "recent jobs" panel synced to an account, and no server-side retention to configure — the architecture simply has nowhere for your file to be stored.
How fast is Extract Embedded Files?
Most jobs finish in seconds. Speed scales with input size and with how many CPU cycles your browser tab has available — the engine runs in your browser, so it shares resources with whatever else you have open. For inputs near the 200 MB ceiling, expect anywhere from a few seconds to roughly a minute on a typical laptop. Closing other heavy tabs noticeably speeds things up.