What file types does Azure Document Intelligence support?

Question

Hi,

I'm using Azure Document Intelligence (prebuilt-read model) to extract text from documents.

My questions:

1. What file types does Document Intelligence support? (PDF, Word, Excel,Images etc.?)
2. If .txt files are not supported, what similar file format can I use instead?

I need to process plain text documents and want to make sure I'm using a compatible format.

Thanks!

Answer 1

Hello Rajendra Bairy,

I understand that you’re trying to figure out what file types are supported by Azure Document Intelligence when using the prebuilt-read model. Here's a clear breakdown:

Supported File Types in Azure Document Intelligence

Azure Document Intelligence supports a wide range of formats for text extraction, including:

Documents

• .pdf
• .docx (Word documents)
• .pptx (PowerPoint)
• .txt
• .md (Markdown)
• .html

Images

• .jpeg / .jpg
• .png
• .bmp
• .tif / .tiff

These formats work seamlessly with the prebuilt-read model.

About .txt Files

Since you’re specifically asking about .txt files yes, they are fully supported by Azure Document Intelligence.

If you're looking for a similar plain-text format with optional structure, you can also consider:

• .md (Markdown) lightweight plain text with optional formatting.
• .html simple markup that can help preserve structure if needed.

Both formats are supported and work well for text extraction.

Regardless of the format, it’s best to keep your document structure clean. If your documents contain special formatting like tables, bullet points, or multi-column layouts preparing or simplifying the structure beforehand can improve extraction accuracy and consistency.

Please refer this

• Supported Data Sources
• Input Requirements – Layout Model
• Document processing models.

I Hope this helps. Do let me know if you have any further queries.

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Thank you!

Answer 2

Azure Document Intelligence supports the following file types:

• PDF
• Images: JPEG/JPG, PNG, BMP, TIFF, HEIF
• Office files: Word (DOCX), Excel (XLSX), PowerPoint (PPTX), HTML

Since .txt files are not supported, you can use PDF or Word (DOCX) formats as alternatives for processing plain text documents. These formats are compatible with the Document Intelligence service and can effectively handle text extraction tasks.

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References:

• Document Intelligence read model
• Document Intelligence ID document model
• Document processing models