HTML → Plain Text
Strip tags to plain text while turning <br> into newlines and paragraph ends into blank lines.
How it works
- 1Paste or type your text in the input field
- 2Click "Strip" — processing happens in your browser
- 3Copy the result or download as a text file
What to do next
About HTML to Plain Text
HTML to Plain Text is shaped around how people actually use text processing utilities online: open the page, drop in a file, get the result. Strip tags to plain text while turning <br> into newlines and paragraph ends into blank lines. The interface stays out of the way once the work begins so the engine can use the available CPU and memory for the actual transformation.
Under the hood, HTML to Plain Text uses standard browser APIs to do the actual work. Input runs through the same engine, with a per-file ceiling of 0 MB so memory usage stays predictable on lower-end laptops and tablets. The engine ships as part of the page bundle, so once the page is loaded the tool keeps working even if your network connection drops.
HTML to Plain Text is shaped for the gap between "I'll do it by hand" and "I'll script it." When the job is small enough that automating it would take longer than doing it, but annoying enough to want a focused tool — that is the situation this page is built for.
The browser sandbox isolates the page's JavaScript from the rest of the system, the same way it isolates every other tab you have open. HTML to Plain Text works inside that sandbox: it reads the file you give it, processes it with standard browser APIs, and writes the result back. Nothing leaves the page's memory unless you choose to download or copy it.
Constraints worth knowing about: inputs are capped at 0 MB to keep memory usage in a sensible range, one input is processed per run, and the tool must be loaded over HTTPS for the in-browser engine to work. These are properties of the architecture.
Workflow tip: HTML to Plain Text pairs well with Plain Text to HTML and CSV to HTML Table. Other adjacent tools you may find useful are Readability Score and Extractive Text Summarizer. Because every tool is a separate page, you can mix and match the steps that match your job. Bookmark the ones you reach for the most.
HTML to Plain Text sees the most use from writers cleaning copy before publishing and translators aligning bilingual passages, but the design is intentionally generic enough that you do not need a specialist background to get a good result. The defaults aim at the most common case so a first-time user can get the right output without changing any settings.
Output handling is intentionally boring: HTML to Plain Text produces a single output file and triggers your browser's standard "save" behaviour. If you have a default download folder configured, that is where it will land. There is no Favtoo-side history of jobs you have run.
HTML to Plain Text 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.
HTML to Plain Text is one example of a broader pattern: utility software increasingly works as single-page, client-side experiences. Every page in the catalog is shaped that way, which keeps each tool fast to load and easy to recommend in a single link.
If you want to get the most out of HTML to Plain Text, three small habits help. Drag-and-drop is faster than the file picker once you get used to it. The keyboard shortcut for downloading the result is whatever your browser uses for "save link as," because the result is a normal download. And if you are working on a sensitive file, processing in an Incognito or Private window is a good extra layer — it leaves no trace in browser history when the tab closes.
HTML to Plain Text fits the gap where opening a desktop app feels heavy and writing a script feels overkill. The page handles the common text processing 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.
Common gotchas worth flagging: the supported formats are listed in the upload area. The 0 MB ceiling is per-file, not per-session; you can run as many separate jobs as you like, but a single oversized input will be rejected on load.
That is the whole tool. Use HTML to Plain Text for as long as it stays useful to you, and if it does, the catalog has many more tools built the same way. Each applies the same single-purpose discipline, so the way you used this page transfers to the next one you try.
How it works
- 1Open HTML to Plain Text in your browser. The page loads quickly and the tool is ready to use the moment it becomes interactive.
- 2Select the text file you want to process — drag-and-drop and the file picker both work.
- 3Adjust the options to match what you need. Sensible defaults cover the most common case, so you can usually skip this step.
- 4Click to start the job. The engine (standard browser APIs) processes the input in the page; you can watch the progress indicator until it completes.
- 5Save the output 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
- Reformat a JSON blob copied from a log into something readable using HTML to Plain Text.
- Count the words in a draft to check it fits a brief.
- Strip messy formatting out of copy pasted from a PDF.
- Convert a column of names into a comma-separated list for a script.
- De-duplicate a list of email addresses pulled from a form export.
- Re-case a title from ALL CAPS to Title Case.
- Diff two drafts of a document side by side.
- Encode user input safely before pasting it into HTML.
- Translate plain text into Markdown for a static-site post.
FAQ
Scripts and styles?
Inline script and style blocks are removed before text extraction.
Entities?
A few common entities like are decoded; complex numeric entities are partially handled.
Tables?
Table markup is stripped to text without perfect column alignment.
Local only?
Yes — your HTML stays on device.
Markdown output?
No — output is plain text only.
Huge pages?
Very large documents may be slow; paste representative sections if needed.
How do I run HTML to Plain Text over a folder of files?
HTML to Plain Text processes one input at a time by design — it keeps memory usage predictable on lower-end devices and makes results easier to verify. To handle a folder, run the tool once per file; the page stays loaded between runs and remembers your last-used settings, so the second run is essentially instant.
Will HTML to Plain Text keep working in a year?
HTML to Plain Text is updated whenever the underlying engine releases an improvement or a bug fix. Because the tool is delivered as a static page, every visit fetches the latest version automatically — there is no "version" to manage on your end. If a particular release ever changes default behaviour, the change is documented on Favtoo's changelog so you can confirm what shifted.
Does HTML to Plain Text ask for any browser permissions?
HTML to Plain Text only needs the standard web platform — file picker access for the inputs you choose to load, and optionally clipboard access if you copy the result rather than downloading it. There is no microphone, camera, geolocation or background-permission request, because none of those are needed for the work the tool does.
Is there a desktop version of HTML to Plain Text?
No installation is needed. HTML to Plain Text 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 HTML to Plain Text on any computer you have temporary access to without leaving anything installed on it.
Does HTML to Plain Text need an internet connection to run?
Once the page is loaded, HTML to Plain Text 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 HTML to Plain Text work with screen readers?
HTML to Plain Text uses native HTML controls wherever possible, which means keyboard navigation, focus rings, and screen-reader labels work the way the platform expects. The drop zone accepts files via the keyboard-accessible file picker as well as drag-and-drop, and result downloads use standard browser download flows. If you spot an accessibility gap, Favtoo treats it as a bug worth fixing.
Will HTML to Plain Text ask me to pay to download the result?
HTML to Plain Text is free to use. The processing runs in your browser, which keeps the per-user cost low enough that the tool can be offered openly. The download is the same file the engine produced — you can use it for as many runs as you need.
Is it safe to use HTML to Plain Text on confidential files?
Your file is processed inside your browser by standard browser APIs. 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.
Can I use HTML to Plain Text with formats other than the defaults?
The accepted formats are listed in the upload area on the tool itself. If your input is in a format that is not directly supported, convert it first using one of Favtoo's converter tools — every Favtoo converter outputs a file that is a clean input to the next tool in the chain.