CONVERT
XHTML → TXT
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Fast, secure XHTML to TXT conversion. No registration required.
Here is the short version — XHTML is a document format oriented around a particular office suite or publishing pipeline. Hence the need for TXT. A XHTML to TXT job turns one office document into another without retyping anything. Styles, pagination and embedded content cross the bridge cleanly because we use the same engine that powers professional document pipelines. Upload a XHTML file above, adjust any Advanced options, and download a ready-to-use TXT. Background. XHTML is a document format oriented around a particular office suite or publishing pipeline. Destination side, TXT is the plain-text format — just characters and line breaks, no formatting.
XHTML Document
Source formatXHTML is XML-compliant HTML for strict document processing.
Plain Text
Target formatTXT files contain unformatted plain text with no styling, images, or layout information. They are universally readable by any device and operating system, making them the simplest document format.
Why convert XHTML to TXT
Opening XHTML in the tool that natively reads TXT is rarely clean. Converting upstream rebuilds the document in the target format so headings become headings, lists stay lists, and the receiving tool does not flag layout warnings.
HOW TO CONVERT
XHTML → TXT
Drop the XHTML file
Upload your document — or a ZIP of several documents for batch conversion — through the web form.
Convert through pandoc
Our pandoc-based pipeline opens the XHTML, preserves structure and typography, and writes the TXT.
Retrieve the document
Click the download button; the TXT is delivered as a single file (or ZIP of files for batch jobs).
Common Use Cases
Share across platforms
Send TXT files to anyone without worrying about whether they have the right software for XHTML.
Embed in documents
Drop TXT output into Word, Google Docs, PowerPoint, Notion or a website without conversion warnings.
Optimize size
TXT often produces smaller files than XHTML for web, email and storage.
Archive & future-proof
Store in a widely-supported format that will still open on future operating systems without legacy plugins.
XHTML vs TXT — Strengths and limitations
What each format does best, and where it falls short.
XHTML Strengths
- Rigorous XML syntax — can be parsed with any XML tool.
- Native EPUB and DocBook support.
- Enforces clean markup — no sloppy error recovery.
- Namespaces allow mixing SVG, MathML, and XHTML in one document.
Limitations
- Browsers reject XHTML with strict MIME on any markup error — harsh failure mode.
- Authoring is more tedious than HTML5.
- Not served by ~99% of the web.
TXT Strengths
- Universally readable — every operating system, every editor, every programming language.
- Zero metadata overhead: the file size equals the character count (for ASCII).
- Safe to diff, grep, version-control, and pipe through command-line tools.
- Immune to format obsolescence: a text file from 1970 still opens today.
- Tiny footprint for structured data like logs or configuration.
Limitations
- No styling, images, or embedded structure — just characters.
- Character encoding ambiguity (ISO-8859-1 vs UTF-8 vs Windows-1252) causes "mojibake".
- Line-ending differences between OSes still cause subtle bugs today.
XHTML vs TXT — Technical specifications
Side-by-side comparison of the technical details.
XHTML
- MIME types
- application/xhtml+xml, text/html
- Extensions
- .xhtml, .xht, .xml
- Standards
- XHTML 1.0 (2000), XHTML 1.1 (2001)
- Encoding
- UTF-8 (required with XML prolog)
- Used in
- EPUB, DocBook, some government sites
TXT
- MIME type
- text/plain
- Common encodings
- UTF-8, UTF-16, ASCII, ISO-8859-1, Windows-1252
- Line endings
- LF (Unix), CRLF (Windows), CR (classic Mac)
- Max file size
- Limited only by filesystem (no format-level limit)
- Structure
- None — flat sequence of characters
| Specification | XHTML | TXT |
|---|---|---|
| MIME types | application/xhtml+xml, text/html | — |
| Extensions | .xhtml, .xht, .xml | — |
| Standards | XHTML 1.0 (2000), XHTML 1.1 (2001) | — |
| Encoding | UTF-8 (required with XML prolog) | — |
| Used in | EPUB, DocBook, some government sites | — |
| MIME type | — | text/plain |
| Common encodings | — | UTF-8, UTF-16, ASCII, ISO-8859-1, Windows-1252 |
| Line endings | — | LF (Unix), CRLF (Windows), CR (classic Mac) |
| Max file size | — | Limited only by filesystem (no format-level limit) |
| Structure | — | None — flat sequence of characters |
XHTML vs TXT — Typical file sizes
Approximate file sizes for common scenarios.
XHTML
- EPUB chapter 5-50 KB
- DocBook reference page 10-100 KB
TXT
- Short note < 1 KB
- README file 2–20 KB
- Full novel (~90,000 words) 500 KB – 1 MB
- Server log file (daily) 10 MB – 1 GB
Quality & Compatibility
Headings, paragraphs, lists, tables, hyperlinks and inline images all survive the conversion with their semantic structure intact. Rare features unique to XHTML — legacy macros, form fields, obscure frame styles — are flattened to static content where no direct TXT equivalent exists. Tracked changes, where both formats support them, transfer cleanly.
Tips for Best Results
- Round-tripping between XHTML and TXT (converting back and forth) can accumulate small formatting drift — do one conversion and stay in that format.
- If the XHTML has tracked changes, accept or reject them before converting to avoid surprises in the TXT output.
- Very long documents split cleanly at existing section breaks; add section breaks deliberately if you need precise page boundaries.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, as long as the fonts are standard (system fonts or common office fonts like Arial, Calibri, Times, Helvetica). Custom corporate fonts survive if they are embedded in the source document; otherwise the conversion substitutes the closest available match, which can shift line breaks by a character or two.
Yes. Inline images are embedded into the TXT at full resolution, editable tables become native TXT tables, and hyperlinks keep their URLs. Complex features unique to XHTML — macros, form fields, track-changes — are mapped where an equivalent exists in TXT and flattened into static content otherwise.
All uploads go over TLS, files are processed in isolated containers and both the source and the output are deleted within two hours. No account is required, file contents are never indexed or used for training, and the paid plan adds a signable data-processing agreement for regulated workflows.
Related comparisons
See these formats side by side to understand which fits your use case best.
Secure & Private Conversion
Your files are encrypted during transfer, processed in isolated containers, and automatically deleted within 60 minutes. We never read, share, or store your data.