Old Word .doc text & metadata extractor
Drop a legacy Word .doc file to read its text, pull out any
embedded images, and see the metadata hidden inside it, such as the
author, subject and comments.
Your file never leaves your device. There is no upload and no server. The parser is compiled to WebAssembly and runs entirely in your browser.
Choose a file
Hidden metadata
Data stored inside the file that isn't part of the visible text.
Extracted text
Embedded images
Pictures and drawings stored inside the file, extracted in your browser. Click a caption to save one, or use Download everything above to grab them with the text.
How it works
The old binary Word .doc format (Word 97 to 2003) is awkward
to open without Microsoft Word, and most online converters make you upload
the file to a server first. This tool reads it locally instead: it runs the
classic catdoc
parser, compiled to WebAssembly, directly in your browser.
It also surfaces the document metadata: the author, last-saved-by name, title, subject, keywords and comments that Word quietly stores in the file. Handy when you're about to send an old document to someone and want to know what it reveals about you.
Any images embedded in the document are pulled out as well, so you can save them without opening Word.
This reads the legacy .doc format, not the newer
.docx (which is a different, ZIP-based format).
Curious how it works? I wrote up running catdoc in the browser with WebAssembly, which is what this tool does, and the Go library it came from. Source: go-catdoc (the catdoc parser is GPL-2.0).
Questions
- How do I extract text from a .doc file?
- Drop or choose a .doc file above and its text is extracted instantly, in your browser. There is nothing to install and nothing to configure, and the parsing runs locally on your device.
- Is my file uploaded anywhere?
- No. The file is read entirely in your browser. There is no server and no upload, so the document never leaves your device.
- Do I need Microsoft Word or Office to use this?
- No. The tool reads the legacy .doc format itself and runs entirely in your browser, so you can see the text and metadata without Word, Office, LibreOffice, or anything else installed.
- Does it work with .docx files?
- No. This reads the legacy binary .doc format (Word 97 to 2003). The newer .docx is a different, ZIP-based format and is not supported here.
- What metadata can it show?
- The author, last-saved-by name, title, subject, keywords, comments and comment authors that Word stores inside the file, when they are present.
- Can it pull images out of the .doc?
- Yes. It reads the OfficeArt image store, so embedded pictures come out: JPEG, PNG and bitmap images are shown as previews; TIFF and vector drawings (EMF, WMF, PICT) are extracted as downloads, since browsers cannot display those inline. You can save them one by one or all together in the zip.
- Is it free?
- Yes, completely free, with no account and no limits.