OCR a scanned PDF to extract selectable text
Run OCR on a scanned PDF to pull out selectable, copyable text right in your browser. Free, fast, no sign-up, and your PDF is never uploaded.
100% private — files never leave your deviceRuns OCR on each page in your browser. The first run downloads the English OCR model (~10–15 MB) once, then it's cached. Accuracy depends on scan quality.
Working…
How to use
- Add your scanned PDF. Drop in or select the image-only PDF you want to read. It loads locally, with no upload and no waiting on a server.
- Run the OCR. Click to start. Each page is rendered and scanned on your device. On the first run only, a small English language model (about 10-15MB) downloads once, then stays cached.
- Watch the text appear. Recognized text fills in page by page. Larger or lower-quality scans take a little longer to process.
- Copy or download. Copy the extracted text to your clipboard or save it as a .txt file to edit, search, or reuse anywhere.
Features
- Nothing leaves your device. Pages are rendered and read locally with in-browser OCR. Your scanned PDF is never uploaded, which makes it safe for confidential documents.
- Image-only PDFs become readable text. Scans and photographed pages with no text layer get converted into selectable, copyable words you can actually use.
- Free with no sign-up. No account, no email, no watermark, and no page-count paywall. Just open the tool and run it.
- Copy or save as .txt. Grab the result with one click to your clipboard, or download a plain .txt file you can open in any editor.
- Runs fast after the first load. The language model downloads only once and is cached, so repeat runs start instantly without re-downloading anything.
When to use it
- Pull quotable text out of a scanned contract or NDA without sending the file to any server
- Convert a photographed or faxed invoice into text you can copy into your accounting records
- Make an old scanned report or letter searchable so you can find and reuse its wording
- Extract text from confidential medical or legal scans while keeping them entirely on your own device
- Copy passages from a scanned book chapter or handout into your notes
Is it private?
Your PDF is processed entirely in your browser and is never uploaded to any server.
Frequently asked questions
Is this OCR tool free?
Yes, completely free with no sign-up, no email, and no watermark. There is no page limit or paywall, so you can OCR as many scanned PDFs as you like.
Is my PDF uploaded anywhere?
No. The PDF is processed entirely in your browser. Each page is rendered and read on your device, so the file never leaves your computer, which is ideal for confidential documents.
Why does the first run take a moment to start?
The first time you use it, the tool downloads the English OCR language model (about 10-15MB) from a CDN. After that it is cached, so later runs start right away.
What kind of PDFs work, and how accurate is it?
It is built for image-only or scanned PDFs that have no real text layer. Accuracy depends on scan quality, so clean, high-resolution, well-lit pages give the best results, while blurry or skewed scans may have errors.
Which languages does it support?
It uses English by default. Recognition is tuned for English text, so documents in other languages or unusual fonts may be less accurate.
Can it unlock or read a password-protected PDF?
No. This tool only reads the visible page images as text. It cannot crack or bypass a PDF password, so unlock or decrypt the file first if it is protected.
What do I get at the end?
You get the recognized text as selectable, copyable content. Copy it to your clipboard or download it as a plain .txt file to edit or reuse anywhere.
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