A PDF can carry other files inside it: a spreadsheet behind a report, the XML of an e-invoice, a contract in Word format. Most viewers show them only in a side panel, if at all, and some hide them completely. This tool lists everything that is embedded and lets you save it.
It tells you what each file actually contains instead of trusting its name, because an attachment called invoice.xml is not necessarily XML. Nothing is opened or executed, and the PDF is read in your browser.
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Overview
About PDF Attachments Extractor
Where it looks. PDFs can hold attachments in three places, and the tool reads all of them: the document-level list of embedded files, the array of associated files that PDF/A-3 and e-invoice formats use, and file-attachment annotations on individual pages (the paperclip icon). A file found in more than one place is listed once, with every place it was found.
What it shows for each file. The file name stored in the PDF, the MIME type the PDF declares, a label for what the content looks like (XML, PDF, ZIP or Office document, JPEG, PNG, text or binary), the size, and the relationship to the document (Data, Source, Alternative and so on) when the PDF states one. The declared type and the content label can disagree, and that is worth knowing before you open a file.
Invoices. If an attachment has the name of an e-invoice XML (factur-x.xml, zugferd-invoice.xml, xrechnung.xml, order-x.xml) the tool says whether its content is XML. It does not call an embedded object an invoice on the strength of its name; for the invoice check use the ZUGFeRD / Factur-X XML Extractor or the E-Invoice Format Detector.
Saving. Each attachment can be downloaded on its own, exactly as stored. If there are several, Download all as ZIP bundles them; file names are cleaned (no folder parts, no control characters) and duplicates are renamed, so a hostile name cannot write outside the folder you unzip into.
Compatibility
Supported Formats
PDF files up to 50 MB; up to 200 attachments are listed and each attachment up to 25 MB can be decoded. Encrypted PDFs are not opened. Attachment streams compressed with the common Flate filter and stored uncompressed are readable; other filters may be reported as not extractable.
Guide
How to Use PDF Attachments Extractor
- Drag in the PDF or choose it.
- Read the table: name, declared type, what the content looks like, size, relationship and where in the PDF it was found.
- Download one file with its Download button, or all of them as a ZIP.
- Open downloaded files with care: an attachment can be any kind of file.
Highlights
Features
- Finds all three places Embedded-file list, associated-file array and page attachment annotations.
- Labels real content Shows what each file looks like from its bytes, next to the type the PDF claims.
- Invoice-aware, not invoice-credulous Flags invoice-style names and says whether the content is XML, without calling it an invoice.
- Safe downloads Cleaned file names and a ZIP that cannot write outside its folder.
Applications
Use Cases
- Getting the XML or spreadsheet out of a PDF that a colleague said "has the data inside"
- Checking what an incoming PDF carries before you forward it
- Recovering the files attached to a PDF portfolio-style report
- Finding the invoice XML of a ZUGFeRD or Factur-X PDF
- Finding out whether a PDF you are about to send contains attachments you did not intend to share
Good to Know
Limitations
This lists embedded files. It does not list files that a PDF links to on the web, scripts, or content hidden inside images. A PDF "portfolio" with a custom navigator is read as a normal list of embedded files.
The content label is a light check of the first bytes (file signatures), not a scan. It is not a security check and cannot tell you that an attachment is safe.
This tool runs entirely in your browser — your file is never uploaded to our servers. See our Privacy Policy for full details.
Support
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does it say the file only "looks like" something?
Because the file name and the MIME type are set by whoever made the PDF and can be wrong or misleading. The tool looks at the first bytes of the actual content to label it.
Is the PDF uploaded?
No. It is read in your browser, and the attachments are offered to you as downloads created in the page.
What is an "associated file"?
A file linked to the document as a whole (or to a part of it) with a stated relationship, such as the XML that holds the data of an e-invoice. PDF/A-3 uses them; the tool shows the relationship value.
Why are some attachments marked as not extractable?
The stream could not be decoded (an unsupported compression filter or damage), or it is larger than the 25 MB limit per file.
Is it safe to open what I download?
The tool does not open or run anything, but it cannot judge safety. Treat attachments from unknown senders as you would any download, and let your security software scan them.
Does it remove attachments from a PDF?
No, it only reads them. The PDF is not changed.
Keep Going
Related Tools
- ZUGFeRD / Factur-X XML Extractor Pull the invoice XML out of a ZUGFeRD or Factur-X PDF, see which profile it declares, and download it. The PDF is read in your browser.
- Factur-X / ZUGFeRD Validator (Technical Checks) Run technical checks on a hybrid Factur-X / ZUGFeRD PDF: PDF/A-3 declaration, attachment, profile in the metadata, a documented subset of EN 16931 rules and totals. Not the official validation.
- E-Invoice Format Detector Find out what an XML or PDF e-invoice file is: ZUGFeRD, Factur-X, XRechnung, KSeF FA(3), Peppol BIS or plain UBL, from fixed signals you can see.
- PDF/A Checker & Converter Check which PDF/A level a PDF declares and spot common problems in your browser. Convert to PDF/A-1b, -2b or -3b on the server if you need to.
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