PDF OCR (Text Recognition) Free Online Tool

Recognize and extract text from scanned PDFs. Free, no signup required. Use it right in your browser.

About this tool

What it does, limits, use cases, tips, and answers to common questions.

Overview

A scanned PDF is a stack of pictures. Search, copy, and screen readers do not work until OCR writes a text layer. This tool runs recognition in the browser so passport scans and handwritten ish letters do not go to a cloud OCR farm.

Expect strong results on clean printed Latin text and weaker results on stamps, cursive, and low contrast photocopies. Always proofread amounts and names.

If you only have a photo of one page, the Image to Text tool is simpler. Use PDF OCR when you have many pages already bound as a PDF.

Limitations

  • Handwriting accuracy is limited.

  • Skewed or dark scans should be photographed again, not just OCR'd harder.

  • Very large scanned books can stall a phone browser.

Common Use Cases

  • Making a paper contract searchable.

  • Extracting text from a faxed form.

  • Preparing scans for a Word conversion afterward.

Pro Tips

  • 300 DPI grayscale scans usually beat colorful phone photos of a page under a lamp.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this the same as PDF to Word?

No. OCR adds text. Word conversion rebuilds an editable document.

Does my scan leave the computer?

No. Recognition runs locally in the page.

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