How to convert text to PDF on iPhone and Android
To convert text to PDF on Android, open PDFriend and tap Text to PDF. Type or paste the text in the Text field, or tap Open a text file. Then tap Create PDF. The app makes A4 pages with real text that you can select. It has no font or format options. The iPhone app has the same Text to PDF tool.
How do you convert text to PDF on Android?
Text to PDF turns plain text into a PDF file on your phone. The app does not upload the text. The steps take less than one minute.
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Open Text to PDF
Open PDFriend and tap the Text to PDF tool on the home screen.
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Type or paste the text
Tap the Text field. Type the text, or long press the field and tap Paste. To use a .txt file, tap Open a text file.
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Name the file
Type a name in the File name field. If you do not change it, the app uses a name with the date.
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Tap Create PDF
Tap Create PDF. The app makes A4 pages and saves the file in Documents/ImageToPDF on Android.
How do you paste text from notes or a chat?
Most text on a phone is already in another app. Copy it there, then paste it into PDFriend.
- In the notes app, the email or the chat, long press the text.
- Move the handles to select all the text that you need. Some apps also show Select all.
- Tap Copy.
- Open PDFriend, tap Text to PDF, then long press the Text field.
- Tap Paste, then tap Create PDF.
You can also share the text from the other app. Select the text, tap Share, then select PDFriend. Text to PDF opens with the text.
To copy the text from a photo or a scan, first read how to copy text from an image.
What does the PDF from Text to PDF look like?
The app uses the same layout for every file. You cannot change it.
- Page size: A4 (210 x 297 mm), portrait.
- Text: 12 points, with about 43 lines on each page.
- Margin: about 19 mm (0.75 inch) on each side.
- Lines: a long line goes onto the next line at a space. Chinese and Japanese lines break between characters, and a closing mark such as "。" does not start a line. A new page starts when a page is full.
- Line breaks: each line break and each empty line in your text stays in the PDF.
Limit: Text to PDF has no formatting options. It has no font size, no bold, no italic, no headings, no pictures and no other page size. Two or more spaces become one space, so columns of text do not stay in line.
For A4 and the other page sizes, read PDF page sizes: A4, Letter, Legal and more.
Which languages can you use in Text to PDF?
The app puts its fonts into each PDF. So the PDF shows the correct letters on every device, also on a computer without these fonts. The PDF holds only the characters that the text uses, so the file stays small.
| Alphabet | Examples | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Latin | English, German, French, Spanish | Works |
| Greek | Greek | Works |
| Cyrillic | Russian, Ukrainian | Works |
| Arabic | Arabic, Persian, Urdu | Works. Lines start at the right, and the letters join. |
| Chinese | Traditional and simplified Chinese | Works. On Android, Google Play services downloads the font one time. |
| Japanese | Japanese | Works. On Android, Google Play services downloads the font one time. |
| Korean | Korean | Works. Lines break at the spaces, so a Korean word stays together. The font downloads one time. |
| Emoji | Emoji | Works, in one color (black). The font downloads one time. |
The Latin, Greek, Cyrillic and Arabic fonts are in the app. On Android, for Chinese, Japanese, Korean and emoji, Google Play services downloads the font on the first use: Noto Sans JP, KR, TC or SC (6 to 11 MB), or Noto Emoji (about 0.9 MB). The download needs an internet connection. After that, Text to PDF works offline. If the download fails, the app shows "The app cannot download the font for this text. Connect to the internet, then try again."
The app selects the font from the text. Japanese kana gives the Japanese font, and Hangul gives the Korean font. Chinese characters alone follow the language of the app.
Can you make a PDF from text without this app?
Yes. Google Docs can save a document as a PDF. Open the document, tap the More menu (three dots), tap Share & export, then save it as a PDF. Use Google Docs when you need fonts, bold text, headings or pictures. Use Text to PDF when you only need the words in a PDF, fast and on the phone.
Is the text already in a Word file? Then convert the file itself, with its headings, tables and pictures. Read how to convert Word to PDF on Android.
For a web page, do not copy the text. Tap More, then Web to PDF, and the app keeps the layout. Read how to save a website as a PDF.
Tip: to make a heading stand out, put an empty line before it and after it. Use capital letters for a short title.
How do you convert text to PDF on iPhone?
PDFriend is also an iPhone app (iOS 26 and later). It has the same Text to PDF tool on the home screen. Type or paste the text in the Text field, or tap Open a text file. Then tap Create PDF. You can also share a note to PDFriend. The PDF goes to the folder of the app. In the Files app, open On My iPhone > PDFriend.
Questions and answers
How do I convert text to PDF on Android?
Open PDFriend and tap Text to PDF. Type or paste the text in the Text field, then tap Create PDF. The app saves an A4 PDF in Documents/ImageToPDF on Android.
Can I select and copy the text in the PDF?
Yes. The PDF holds real text, not a picture of text. You can select, copy and search the words in a PDF reader.
Can I change the font, the font size or the page size?
No. The app selects the font from the text. The text is always 12 points on A4 pages. It has no bold, no italic, no headings and no other page size. For formatted text, use a word processor.
Does Text to PDF work with Arabic text?
Yes. The app embeds an Arabic font. An Arabic line starts at the right edge of the page, and the letters join. Persian and Urdu text also works.
Does Text to PDF work with Chinese, Japanese or Korean text?
Yes. On Android, Google Play services downloads the font one time, on the first use. This needs an internet connection. After the download, Text to PDF works offline. Emoji also work, in one color (black).
Can I convert a .txt file to PDF?
Yes. In Text to PDF, tap Open a text file and pick the file. The text goes into the Text field, and the PDF gets the name of the text file. The limit is 1 MB. You can also open a .txt file in a files app with PDFriend.