PDF OCR — Convert Scanned PDF to Text

PDF OCR extracts editable text from scanned or image-only PDFs right in your browser. If your PDF is just pictures of pages — a scan, a photo, or an export with no embedded text layer — normal copy-and-paste returns nothing, and that is exactly what this scanned PDF to text tool fixes. Each page is rendered and read with Tesseract OCR, then the recognized text is combined so you can copy it or download a .txt file. Everything runs 100% in your browser, so your document is never uploaded and stays completely private. It is ideal for receipts, contracts, books, forms, and other image-based PDFs that have no selectable text.

🔒 100% private — files never leave your device

Loading…

How to use

  1. Drop your scanned or image-only PDF onto the page, or click to select a .pdf file from your device.
  2. The tool renders each page to a high-resolution canvas and runs Tesseract OCR, showing live progress for the current page.
  3. Read the recognized text as it fills the output box, page by page, separated by blank lines.
  4. Copy the text to your clipboard or download it as a .txt file — no upload, nothing leaves your device.

Frequently asked questions

What kind of PDF does this OCR tool work on?

It is built for scanned or image-only PDFs — pages that are pictures with no embedded, selectable text. Each page is rendered to an image and read with OCR. If your PDF already has a real text layer, a plain PDF to Text extractor will be faster and more accurate.

Is my PDF uploaded to a server?

No. The entire process runs 100% in your browser using pdf.js and Tesseract.js. Your PDF is read locally, the OCR happens on your own device, and nothing is ever uploaded, so your document stays completely private.

Which languages can it recognize?

The OCR uses the English (eng) language model, so it works best on English-language documents. Text in other alphabets or heavy accents may not be recognized accurately.

Is there a file size or page limit?

There is no fixed limit, but OCR is processing-heavy and runs on your device. Large PDFs with many pages take longer and use more memory, so very big or high-resolution documents may be slow on lower-powered machines.

How accurate is the extracted text?

Accuracy depends on the scan. Clean, high-contrast, straight pages in a clear font give the best results. Blurry scans, skewed pages, handwriting, tiny fonts, or complex multi-column layouts can produce mistakes, so it is worth proofreading the output.

Can I get the text back out?

Yes. The recognized text lands in an editable output box where you can select it, copy it to your clipboard in one click, or download it as a plain .txt file that keeps each page separated by a blank line.

About this tool

Free PDF OCR that turns scanned or image-only PDFs into editable text with on-device Tesseract. Copy it or download a .txt — 100% in your browser, no uploads.

Related tools