Extract text from PDFs with Nutrient Document Web Services API on Zapier

Hulya Masharipov

February 10, 2025

This tutorial walks you through creating a Zap that automatically extracts plain and structured text from PDFs using the Nutrient Document Web Services API. It’s perfect for digitizing paperwork, archiving content, or transforming scanned documents into searchable formats.

Extract text from PDFs with Nutrient Document Web Services API on Zapier

What is Zapier?

Zapier(opens in a new tab) is an automation platform that connects your favorite apps and services with no code required. You can build “Zaps” to automate repetitive tasks by setting up triggers and actions between apps like Google Drive, Slack, Gmail, and more.

In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to use Zapier to automatically extract plain and structured text from PDF documents using the Nutrient API.

What is the Nutrient API?

Nutrient Document Web Services API enables powerful document processing with simple API calls. With a free account(opens in a new tab), you get 100 credits to automate actions like:

Text and table extraction
OCR on scanned files
Conversion between formats
Document signing, watermarking, and more

What you’ll need

A Zapier(opens in a new tab) account (a pro plan is necessary for multi-step Zaps)
A Google Drive account
A PDF file uploaded to Google Drive
A Nutrient API key — sign up here(opens in a new tab)

Step 1 — Trigger a new file in a Google Drive folder

Select Google Drive as the trigger app.

Google Drive selected as trigger app in Zapier

Choose the New File in Folder trigger event.

Trigger set to 'New File in Folder'

Connect your Google Drive account.
Set up the trigger:

In the Drive field, select your Google Drive.
In the Folder field, select or create a folder (e.g. pdf-to-text).

Drive and folder selected for PDF upload monitoring

Test this step with a sample PDF file.

Test result showing PDF found in Google Drive folder

Step 2 — Extract text from PDF action using Nutrient API

Select Nutrient Document Web Services API as your action app.

Nutrient API selected as action app

Choose the Extract Text From PDF action.

Action dropdown showing 'Extract Text from PDF' selected

Connect your Nutrient API account using your API key.

Paste API key to connect Nutrient account

You can find your key in the Nutrient dashboard(opens in a new tab).

Where to find your API key in the dashboard

Configure the action:
- PDF File URL — Use the output from step 1.
- Output File Name — Optional — e.g. invoice-text.txt.

Fields filled with PDF URL and output file name

Make sure the file is publicly accessible or uploaded through a supported trigger like Google Drive.

Run a test to ensure the extracted text is returned in structured JSON format.

Test result showing successfully extracted text

Step 3 — Upload the extracted data to Google Drive (optional)

Now, add another step by selecting Google Drive as the app and Upload File as the action event. Connect your Google Drive account if needed.

Google Drive selected as output app for extracted text

Choose your drive and output folder.
In the File field, map the extracted JSON file or raw content.

Map extracted text as file upload to Google Drive

Run a test to confirm the extracted file uploads properly.

Test confirming the extracted text was saved to Google Drive

Conclusion

With this Zap, you’ve automated the process of extracting plain and structured text from PDFs using Nutrient API(opens in a new tab). This workflow is ideal for indexing content, digitizing business records, or feeding content into CRMs and data pipelines.

You can expand this flow with steps for table extraction, OCR scanning, or automatic uploading to Notion(opens in a new tab).