How to Batch Convert Files to .txt on Mac Using Automator

Power User · 6 min read · March 2025

Converting one document to .txt is a quick job. Converting fifty is a grind — unless you automate it. macOS ships with Automator, a workflow tool that sits in your Applications folder and can handle this without any coding. There's also a Terminal approach using textutil that's even faster if you're comfortable with the command line.

The Terminal approach (faster, recommended)

macOS includes textutil, a built-in command that converts between document formats. For a single folder of Word documents:

textutil -convert txt ~/Documents/MyFolder/*.docx

This converts every .docx file in the folder to .txt and saves the converted files alongside the originals. It takes a few seconds regardless of how many files there are.

For a mixed folder containing .docx, .rtf, and .doc files all at once:

for f in ~/Documents/MyFolder/*.{docx,rtf,doc}; do textutil -convert txt "$f"; done

Each file gets a corresponding .txt version. Originals are untouched.

The Automator approach (no Terminal needed)

If you prefer a graphical interface or want a right-click option in Finder, Automator is the way to go.

Step 1 — Open Automator

Open Automator from Applications. When it asks what type of workflow to create, choose Quick Action. This adds it to the right-click context menu in Finder.

Step 2 — Configure the input

At the top of the workflow, set "Workflow receives current" to files or folders in Finder.

Step 3 — Add a Run Shell Script action

In the left panel, search for "Run Shell Script" and drag it into the workflow area. Set Shell to /bin/bash and Pass input to as arguments. Then enter this script:

for f in "$@"; do
  textutil -convert txt "$f"
done

Step 4 — Save the Quick Action

Go to File → Save and name it something like "Convert to .txt". Close Automator.

Step 5 — Use it

In Finder, select one or more documents. Right-click, go to Quick Actions, and you'll see "Convert to .txt" in the list. Click it. The converted .txt files appear alongside the originals.

The Quick Action appears in Finder's right-click menu for all files. It's safe to use on files that aren't documents — textutil will simply fail silently on files it can't convert and move on to the next one.

What formats textutil can convert

textutil handles: .docx, .doc, .rtf, .rtfd, .html, .webarchive, .odt. It cannot process PDFs. For PDF to text conversion, use pdftotext (installable via Homebrew: brew install poppler).

For most people the Terminal one-liner is the fastest path — one command, whole folder, done. The Automator Quick Action is worth setting up if you need to do this regularly and want it accessible from Finder without opening Terminal.