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The simplest way to get started with Docling is to convert a single document and print the output.

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Quick Example

This example converts a PDF from a URL and prints the Markdown output to stdout.
minimal.py
from docling.document_converter import DocumentConverter

# Change this to a local path or another URL if desired.
# Note: using the default URL requires network access; if offline, provide a
# local file path (e.g., Path("/path/to/file.pdf")).
source = "https://arxiv.org/pdf/2408.09869"

converter = DocumentConverter()
result = converter.convert(source)

# Print Markdown to stdout.
print(result.document.export_to_markdown())

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How It Works

1

Import the Converter

Import DocumentConverter from the docling package.
2

Specify the Source

Provide a URL or local file path. Docling auto-detects the format (PDF, DOCX, HTML, PPTX, images, etc.).
3

Convert the Document

Call converter.convert(source) to process the document.
4

Export to Markdown

Use result.document.export_to_markdown() to get the converted text.
The converter auto-detects supported formats including PDF, DOCX, HTML, PPTX, images, and more.

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Requirements

  • Python 3.9+
  • Install Docling: pip install docling

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Running the Example

python docs/examples/minimal.py
For batch processing or saving outputs to files, see Batch Conversion.

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