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ODT to TXT Converter
Pull the plain text out of an OpenDocument (.odt) file — unzipped and read in your browser.
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Quick Answer
The ODT to Text Converter takes an OpenDocument Text (.odt) file — the format LibreOffice and OpenOffice Writer save — and extracts its plain text. An .odt is a ZIP of XML files; the tool reads the content part, turns paragraph tags into line breaks and strips the rest of the markup. Formatting is dropped, and it all runs in your browser.
What the ODT to TXT Converter Does
It gives you just the words from an .odt document. ODT files are zipped XML, so the text is wrapped in markup; this reads the text part and discards the tags.
It is a one-way extraction to plain text. Styles, layout and embedded objects are not carried over.
How It Works
An .odt file is a ZIP archive. The tool opens it with JSZip and reads content.xml, the file that holds the document text.
It converts paragraph tags to line breaks, removes the remaining XML tags, decodes the basic entities, and gives you the trimmed plain text to download.
Data source & conversion logic
- Drop an .odt file. Select or drag in an OpenDocument Text file; it is read in your browser.
- Unzip and read content.xml. It opens the .odt as a ZIP with JSZip and reads content.xml, where the text lives.
- Strip the markup. It turns paragraph tags into line breaks and removes the other XML tags.
- Decode and output. It decodes the basic XML entities and downloads the result as a plain-text .txt file.
How it reads an .odt
An .odt file is a ZIP archive of XML files
Read content.xml (the document text)
Paragraph tags become line breaks; all XML tags removedWorked example
report.odt → report.txt (plain text, formatting removed)It reads only content.xml, so styles, metadata and embedded objects — which live in the other files inside the zip — are not included.
Privacy
Your .odt is unzipped and read entirely in your browser with JSZip. Nothing you upload is sent to a server, stored or logged.
There is no account or history; closing the tab clears the file.
Technical Details
| Input | .odt (OpenDocument Text) |
|---|---|
| Library | JSZip (in-browser unzip) |
| Reads | content.xml only |
| Paragraphs | Become line breaks |
| Formatting | Dropped (plain text out) |
| Output | A .txt download |
| Processing | 100% in-browser |
Standards & references
- OpenDocument Format (ODF) — an OASIS standard, also ISO/IEC 26300. ODT is the word-processing document type, saved by LibreOffice and Apache OpenOffice Writer.
- ODT package — an .odt is a ZIP archive containing content.xml (the text), plus styles.xml, meta.xml, settings.xml and a manifest. This tool reads the content.
Accuracy & Limitations
It reads only content.xml, so styles, metadata, headers and footers, and embedded objects — which are stored in the other files inside the zip — are not extracted.
Paragraph tags become line breaks, but tables and lists are flattened to text, and the layout is not preserved.
It decodes the four basic XML entities (apostrophe, ampersand, less-than and greater-than) but not numeric or other named entities, which can leave a stray code in unusual documents.
It expects a real .odt — that is, a valid ZIP. A renamed, corrupt or password-protected file will not open. Spreadsheet (.ods) and presentation (.odp) files are not supported.
Real-World Use Cases
Reading an .odt without LibreOffice
Get the text out of an OpenDocument file on a device that has no office app.
Salvaging words from an .odt
Pull the content out of a document when you only need the text.
Preparing .odt text for a CMS
Strip the formatting before pasting the words into a website or editor.
Quick extraction on any device
Convert .odt to plain text in the browser, including on mobile.
When to use it — and when not to
Good for
- An .odt to plain text
- Dropping formatting to get the words
- Reading an .odt without an office app
- Quick text extraction in the browser
Not the best choice for
- Keeping formatting, styles or layout
- Tables, lists or images
- Spreadsheet (.ods) or presentation (.odp) files
- Scanned or image-only documents
To keep formatting, open the .odt in a word processor and Save As. For a Word .docx file, use the Word to Text Extractor; for the HTML, the Word to HTML Converter.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the ODT to text converter do?
It extracts the plain text from an OpenDocument .odt file by unzipping it, reading content.xml, and stripping the XML markup.
What is an .odt file?
It is an OpenDocument Text file, the word-processing format saved by LibreOffice and Apache OpenOffice Writer. It is a ZIP archive of XML files.
Does it keep my formatting?
No. It outputs plain text only. Styles, fonts, colours and layout are dropped.
Are paragraphs preserved?
Yes, as line breaks. Paragraph tags are converted to new lines, though tables and lists flatten to text.
Why is some content missing?
It reads only content.xml. Headers, footers, metadata and embedded objects are stored in other files inside the zip and are not extracted.
Does it work for .ods or .odp files?
No. It is built for .odt text documents. Spreadsheets (.ods) and presentations (.odp) are not supported.
Is my file uploaded?
No. The .odt is unzipped and read entirely in your browser; nothing is sent to a server.
What if the file will not open?
It must be a valid .odt (a real ZIP). A renamed, corrupt or password-protected file cannot be read.
Does it handle accented or non-English text?
Text stored as plain characters comes through fine. Characters written as numeric XML entities may not be decoded.
What is the output?
A plain-text .txt file named after your document.
How is this different from the Word to Text Extractor?
That tool reads Word .docx files (via Mammoth); this one reads OpenDocument .odt files (via JSZip). Both output plain text.
Is it free?
Yes, completely free with no sign-up and no limits.
References
Documented against this tool's own code: it unzips the .odt with JSZip, reads content.xml, turns paragraph tags into line breaks and strips the rest of the XML — so the page is clear it reads only the content, not styles or metadata.
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