document-extractor

name	document-extractor
description	Convert hard-to-read files into clear Markdown with MarkItDown. Use for PDF, Word, PowerPoint, Excel, images, audio, HTML, CSV, JSON, XML, ZIP, EPUB, Outlook, and YouTube inputs. Check whether `markitdown` is installed first, prefer `uv tool install`, fall back to `pipx`, and use the upstream docs when needed.

DocumentExtractor

Use markitdown to convert supported inputs into Markdown that is easier to inspect, search, and feed into LLM workflows.

Check And Install

Check whether the CLI already exists:

Get-Command markitdown -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
markitdown --version

Install with uv first:

uv tool install markitdown
uv tool install 'markitdown[pdf,docx,pptx]'
uv tool install 'markitdown[all]'

Fall back to pipx if uv is unavailable:

pipx install markitdown
pipx install 'markitdown[pdf,docx,pptx]'
pipx install 'markitdown[all]'

If the tool is installed without the feature group you need, reinstall it with the narrower or broader extras set you actually want.

Read references/feature-groups.md before installing extras when the user only needs a subset of formats.

Use The CLI

Convert a file and print Markdown to stdout:

markitdown .\report.pdf

Write to a file:

markitdown .\report.pdf -o .\report.md

Pipe binary input and give MarkItDown an extension hint:

Get-Content .\report.pdf -AsByteStream | markitdown -x .pdf -o .\report.md

Use MIME or charset hints when the input source is ambiguous:

markitdown -x .html -m text/html .\page.bin
markitdown -x .csv -c utf-8 .\data.txt

Keep inline data: URIs instead of truncating them:

markitdown --keep-data-uris .\page.html -o .\page.md

Choose Extras Deliberately

• Install base markitdown for lightweight text-like inputs and general conversion.
• Install targeted extras when the user only needs specific formats.
• Install [all] only when broad coverage matters more than dependency size.
• Reinstall with az-doc-intel when using Azure Document Intelligence.
• Reinstall with audio-transcription or youtube-transcription only for transcription workflows.

The current extras list and format mapping lives in references/feature-groups.md.

Common Workflows

Convert Office or PDF documents:

markitdown .\slides.pptx -o .\slides.md
markitdown .\notes.docx -o .\notes.md
markitdown .\table.xlsx -o .\table.md
markitdown .\scan.pdf -o .\scan.md

Convert a YouTube URL or archive when the relevant support is installed:

markitdown "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ" -o .\video.md
markitdown .\bundle.zip -o .\bundle.md

Use Azure Document Intelligence for extraction:

markitdown .\scan.pdf -d -e "https://<resource>.cognitiveservices.azure.com/" -o .\scan.md

List installed third-party plugins:

markitdown --list-plugins
markitdown --use-plugins .\input.pdf -o .\input.md

Use The Python API

Use the Python API when the user needs MarkItDown inside a script instead of as a standalone command:

from markitdown import MarkItDown

md = MarkItDown(enable_plugins=False)
result = md.convert("report.pdf")
print(result.markdown)

Use a configured endpoint for Document Intelligence:

from markitdown import MarkItDown

md = MarkItDown(docintel_endpoint="https://<resource>.cognitiveservices.azure.com/")
result = md.convert("scan.pdf")
print(result.markdown)

Troubleshoot Quickly

• If markitdown is missing, install it with uv tool install ... or pipx install ....
• If a format is unsupported, check whether the right extra was installed first.
• If stdin conversion looks wrong, add -x, -m, or -c hints.
• If -d fails, verify the endpoint and that az-doc-intel support is installed.
• If plugin behavior is expected, run markitdown --list-plugins and then add --use-plugins.
• If output details are unclear, run markitdown --help and then check the upstream docs.

Last Resort

Use these sources when local behavior is unclear or the package changes:

• CLI help: markitdown --help
• Main docs: https://github.com/microsoft/markitdown/tree/main
• README: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/microsoft/markitdown/main/README.md